Canis Luna
by Bookkbaby
Summary: LUCKY, Yaoi, AU. Lavi had always at least half-believed the legends about men and women who could turn into wolves; there were too many stories from too many parts of the world about men-wolves for the tales to be dismissed entirely...
1. Chapter 1

Warnings: YAOI, which means BOYS LOVING BOYS. If you dislike that, then the back button is easy enough to find. Please click that and leave. Possible OOC. Alternate Universe.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Wish they were, but Katsura Hoshino owns all.

Notes: Well, this fic started as a oneshot based off of Little Red Riding Hood. About two pages in, I figured out that this no longer had anything whatsoever to do with Little Red Riding Hood. _ I hope you all enjoy!

Dedicated to SisterWicked, Niamh (both of AssHat Productions, a group I'm a proud member of), and Cackles for reading this over before I posted and giving me tips and the confidence boost I needed so I could make this fic available to the general public. All remaining mistakes are mine.

Super special awesome thanks to Niamh for coming up with the title of this fic!

Chapter 1

Canis Luna

Lavi walked through the dark woods, tugging at his signature red cloak. The cloth was the exact same shade as his hair. An eye-patch covered his right eye and his left was a shade of green that matched the leaves almost exactly. A basket with food, medicine, and a book hung off of his right arm while in his left he carried a compass he checked every few minutes to make sure he was still headed in the right direction.

He looked around warily, eyeing the seemingly abandoned trees to either side. There was no sound at all in the forest, not even a birdsong or the quiet sounds of small animals crawling through the underbrush. The only sound he heard at all were his own footsteps and the sound of the breeze occasionally disturbing the leaves high in the trees. The canopy up above was thick, preventing the heat of the sun and most sunlight from reaching the forest floor. It was almost chilly beneath the trees and Lavi pulled his cloak tighter around himself, tugging the hood a bit more forward to better protect his ears and neck from the chill.

There were strange stories about these woods and he almost regretted taking the shortcut through the trees. He had been told to stay on the path by his overprotective best friend, but Allen had always been the type to be overly careful. Disregarding the white-haired boy's advice just once wouldn't kill him, or so he had thought.

He swallowed heavily as he recalled Kanda's warning; there was supposedly a man-eating wolf in the woods. Several people had died already - Kevin Yeeger, Daisya Berry, Kazaana Lido, Chakar Rabon, Tina Spark, Gwen Flail, Sol Galen, and Suman Dark. All had been found in pieces in the woods the day after they had gone missing. Even Allen had felt something following him the last time he had passed close by the trees and Kanda hadn't let the younger man near the forest since.

Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea, but honestly what were the odds of coming across the 'man-eating wolf' in the hour it would take him to get from one side to the other? He was crossing at the thinnest part of the woods and it would save him four hours of walking.

He continued on. He had already been walking for a little over a half hour. It was too late to turn back and if he quickened his pace he could probably make it out within twenty minutes. He hastened his steps, ears alert for any sound in the surrounding woods.

A twig cracked several yards behind him. His heart pounded in his chest and he spun towards the sound just in time to catch a shadow moving into the thicker underbrush to hide. A very large, vaguely canine shape.

Lavi stared at the place the wolf had been for a second before sense caught up with him and he turned. He couldn't quite remember if lone wolves were the type to chase after prey if it began running-

He paused the thought, vaguely annoyed with himself. Thinking of himself as prey wouldn't help his confidence any, even though he did feel very much like a rabbit caught in a crosshair.

Would the wolf chase him if he ran? Probably. The hairs on the back of his neck stood at end and he could almost feel the creature's hungry eyes watching him. He picked up his pace slightly but did not run. He could not outrun a wolf. If it gave chase, he was dead. Since it hadn't attacked right away, maybe it wouldn't...? Maybe it wasn't hungry...?

Or maybe he was just being paranoid and all he had seen was a shadow and not the outline of a creature intending to tear him to shreds and then eat him.

He relaxed slightly at the thought. Five minutes later, another twig cracked behind him, much closer than the first.

Lavi turned again, heart leaping into his throat.

Behind him, barely ten feet away, was a wolf. Its thick fur was a light gray, its eyes the color of amber. It stood at least a head taller than any other wolf Lavi had ever seen and seemed to be even more keenly intelligent than any of its brethren.

It grinned at him - Lavi knew that wolves did not have the facial muscles to grin, but that was honestly the only word he could think of to describe it - and began padding towards him.

Lavi's mind was frozen but his body was well aware of what to do. He turned and began running, dropping the basket he carried without care for the contents. He worked himself into a sprint within seconds, running through the trees and ignoring the occasional thin, low-hanging branch that scraped at his clothes and face. Behind him he could hear the wolf give chase and he sped up. Lavi didn't dare look back, hearing the wolf's racing steps slowly catching him up. His heart hammered in his chest, its beats drowning out the sound of his heavy breathing and the crunch of leaves and twigs under his feet.

He should have listened to Allen and Kanda! The wolf had never attacked anyone on the path!

Lavi could feel his muscles seizing up and his legs slowing but forced himself to move. Slowing down would mean his death; he could practically feel the foul breath of the wolf at his back.

Finally, he could see the trees clearing up ahead and forced his tired body to move even faster. He was so close-

His foot caught on a root and he went down, the ground forcing the air out of him. He struggled to breathe in, jerking his head up as a shadow passed over him. The wolf had leaped and missed him, landing ungracefully on all four paws and sliding across the layers of leaves at the forests edge.

Lavi's gaze met that of the animal for a split second and than Lavi was scrambling to his feet, sucking in a huge breath as his lungs began to draw in much-needed air. Running forward was out of the question - he'd run right into the wolf. He darted to the side, moving towards town and hoping to skirt around the beast to get free of the forest. The wolf was half a second late in following him and Lavi pressed his advantage, changing direction suddenly and passing right in front of the creature and burst free from the woods.

He could see the house he shared with his grandfather just down the road, at the bottom of the small hill he was currently at the top of. Across open ground he could run faster, but so could the wolf. Not wasting time to check if the animal was still at his heels, he raced down the hill towards the small cottage.

He slammed into the front door, forcing it open and almost falling into the small kitchen area. Without waiting longer than a heartbeat, he slammed the door shut behind him and only then did he relax, leaning back against the door and sliding down to sit on the floor, chest heaving. He gasped for breath, adrenaline still running through his system as he tried to calm his racing heart.

"Lavi?"

The redhead looked towards the table, seeing that it was covered as usual in books and papers. That tendency had earned the old man the nickname 'Bookman' and had gotten him nicknamed 'Bookman Junior' or just 'Junior'. His grandfather, a short man with dark rings around his eyes and a nearly bald head, was standing and staring across the table with a concerned look in his eyes, though the rest of his face betrayed no emotion.

"I wasn't expecting you for another four hours and twenty minutes," the old man said, moving around the table. His eyes turned disapproving. "I assume you took the shortcut through the woods?"

Still out of breath, Lavi nodded. He heard only stony silence for several moments, then his grandfather spoke again.

"Maybe this will teach you to stay out of that damned place," Bookman said, walking over to the redhead and offering him a hand up. "Were you injured?"

Lavi accepted the hand and stood, shaking his head.

"No, just scared," he admitted quietly, turning his head to look out the small window in the door.

He could just make out the shape of the wolf in the trees a but further up the hill. It seemed to be watching and Lavi shivered, turning away from the window and stepping out of the creature's range of sight.

Bookman noticed. His eyes narrowed at the window and then he gripped his grandson's hand and steered the redhead towards the table. He sat the young man down and scooted a small stack of papers towards Lavi.

"Complete these for today," Bookman said, moving back to his side of the table. "I think we'll have an early supper tonight."

Lavi nodded, reaching for the first sheet with shaking hands. He could sense his grandfather watching him, but after a moment the old man turned back to his work.

The redhead sat at the table and tried to concentrate, but there was still the unnerving sensation of eyes watching him from the woods.

Line Break

Lavi tossed and turned, unable to sleep. His mind kept recalling the frantic chase through the woods and he didn't want to dream in case his dreams ended with him getting eaten.

He shuddered and rolled on to his side. He stared at the wall, not really seeing it.

If the wolf had caught him-

A sudden, soft knock on the outside door cut off his thought. Lavi turned his head in the direction of the door, listening. Was the house just settling, or...?

The knock came again. Lavi frowned, shifting his legs over to the floor at the side of the straw-and-cloth pallet that served as his bed and standing. It was the middle of the night - who would come here so late? Bookman was already asleep and Lavi wasn't expecting any visitors.

Again, the knock sounded. Lavi looked down at his clothing - loose, thin shirt and pants made from the same material - and decided he was decent enough before he walked away from his bed, grabbing his eye-patch and tiptoeing to avoid waking his grandfather sleeping on the other cot. He exited the room, tying the patch around his head to cover his useless left eye. He skirted past the few chairs they had and walked into the cooking and dining area, heading towards the door. He could see the outline of a man through the glass as he approached and his steps slowed hesitantly.

The man knocked again. With a soft sigh, Lavi crossed the last few steps to the door and looked out the window, trying to identify the man waiting outside.

He was well-dressed, a white button-up shirt covering his torso and black pants on his legs. Lavi could see the faint shine of leather on the man's knees, meaning he probably wore riding boots. His skin seemed to be an odd color and Lavi frowned. It looked gray, though that might just be because it was dark outside, lit only by the moon. Most of his face was in shadow, making it impossible to recognize him. His hair was pulled back by something, but it seemed fairly long. Without sunlight, it was hard to tell.

Shrugging off the slight uneasiness he felt in his gut, he reached for the doorknob. He unlocked the door and opened it just a few inches, bracing his foot behind the wood so that the man couldn't force his way in if he turned out to be some sort of robber or bandit.

"Who are you?" Lavi asked bluntly, squinting slightly to try and make out some of the man's features. The man chuckled, his teeth brilliant white and slightly more pointed than normal teeth.

"They call me Tyki," he said. His voice was deep and smooth, almost seductive. "I believe this is yours?" Tyki lifted one of his hands, revealing a very familiar basket Lavi hadn't noticed before. He stared at it in surprised disbelief, opening the door just a bit wider so he could take a better look.

It was the same basket he had been carrying back from Allen's and Kanda's house, the one he had dropped in the woods.

He looked back up at Tyki, opening the door fully and moving around it to the outside of the cottage. He stayed halfway in the doorway, not quite ready to trust the stranger, but more willing to believe he was honest and really wanting the basket of his things back.

Tyki held out the basket and Lavi took it, briefly looking through the items. Everything was there, albeit a bit more dirty than when it had been packed, but all present. Lavi looked back up smiling gratefully.

"Thanks, but..." He paused, staring at the other man's face to try and make out some of his features. Everything remained in shadow. "How did you know it was mine?"

Tyki chuckled and the sound sent shivers down Lavi's spine though the redhead couldn't pin down why.

"I saw you drop it. That is how I knew," Tyki said, moving slowly forward. Lavi was suddenly and inexplicably reminded of the wolf from earlier that afternoon and he backed up half a step into the house.

"Saw me drop it?" Lavi asked, uncomprehending. Tyki chuckled again and kept moving forward slowly. One hand wrapped around one of Lavi's wrists, holding the redhead in place as Tyki stepped close enough for Lavi to see his face and eyes clearly, even with the dim light.

Lavi's eye widened.

Tyki's eyes were the color of amber, the exact same shade as the wolf's had been, and his skin was indeed an inhuman shade of gray.

"You-!" Lavi tried to tug his wrist free, but the hand holding his wrist tightened and refused to release him. Tyki nodded in acknowledgement, lifting his other hand to cup Lavi's cheek. The redhead froze, staring into the eyes of a predator.

"Shhh, Red," the wolf-man said, leaning closer. Lavi's breath caught, his body frozen in place as he felt the other man's nose brush his.

Their lips touched. Lavi could feel the soft skin of the wolf-man's mouth caress his own, the contact chaste but intense. Lavi's jaw went slack in shock and Tyki took full advantage, moving his tongue into the redhead's mouth. The first touch of the wet muscle against his own brought Lavi back to his senses.

He jerked his head away, bringing his free hand up to shove at the gray-skinned man's shoulder. It was like shoving against a brick wall, but Tyki didn't advance again. He let go of Lavi's wrist with yet another soft chuckle, bringing his hand up to his mouth and running one finger lightly along his lips.

"Tomorrow night then, Red," Tyki said, voice confident and allowing for no argument, not that Lavi was even able to give one. His voice and feet were frozen in place, mind still unable to fully comprehend what the hell had just happened.

Tyki turned and walked off towards the woods, one hand raised in silent goodbye. Tyki dropped the hand after a moment and then his shape... changed. Lavi watched in shock as the gray wolf from earlier trotted off into the woods, disappearing between the trees. Only then did his own hand come up to touch his lips. They felt oddly warm and tingled slightly, as if Tyki's lips were still pressed to his own-

He wiped his lips on his sleeve, suddenly furious.

That bastard had had the audacity to kiss him!

He had always at least half-believed the legends about men and women who could turn into wolves; there were too many stories from too many parts of the world about men-wolves for the tales to be dismissed entirely, though the specifics differed. In some tales the werewolves could only transform at night and in others the humans couldn't transform except for on nights of the full moon, when they were forced to. In some tales the afflicted lost their minds while in wolf form while others maintained that the werewolves were just as sane in wolf form as out.

Lavi had been taught from a young age not to believe or disbelieve anything he hadn't seen with his own eyes and just observe the world until he had formed his own understanding of it. It had been one of the greatest lessons his grandfather had ever taught him.

It was because of that lesson he had supposed that it was possible such creatures could exist, though he had never expected to meet one and hadn't known that they were such perverts and thieves.

He turned his glare towards the woods, glaring as fiercely as he could towards the silent trees before turning back to his home and shutting the door firmly. He wished he had the guts to slam it, but it wasn't worth waking Bookman up.

He looked down at the basket he held and was tempted to throw it against the wall. Instead, he sighed and set it on the table before heading towards his room with steps that were more like stomps.

He'd show that bastard. Tomorrow night, he planned to sleep peacefully until dawn with no interruptions from strange men who could apparently turn into wolves.

TBC…

A/N: Well, that is the first chapter! Keep in mind that this is highly AU and very, very random. Chapter two will be posted in two weeks.

Please review if you're planning on Favoriting!


	2. Blue Wolf

Warnings: YAOI, which means BOYS LOVING BOYS. If you dislike that, then the back button is easy enough to find. Please click that and leave. Possible OOC. Alternate Universe.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Wish they were, but Katsura Hoshino owns all.

Notes: Well, this fic started as a oneshot based off of Little Red Riding Hood. About two pages in, I figured out that this no longer had anything whatsoever to do with Little Red Riding Hood. _ I hope you all enjoy!

Dedicated to SisterWicked, Niamh (both of AssHat Productions, a group I'm a proud member of), and Cackles for reading this over before I posted and giving me tips and the confidence boost I needed so I could make this fic available to the general public. All remaining mistakes are mine.

Super special awesome thanks to Niamh for coming up with the title of this fic!

Last Time:

He looked down at the basket he held and was tempted to throw it against the wall. Instead, he sighed and set it on the table before heading towards his room with steps that were more like stomps.

He'd show that bastard. Tomorrow night, he planned to sleep peacefully until dawn with no interruptions from strange men who could apparently turn into wolves.

And Now, The Continuation:

Chapter 2

Blue Wolf

Lavi lay awake, watching the shadows shifting on the wall.

He had planned on being asleep long before now, but for some reason sleep just wouldn't come. He had tossed and turned for at least an hour before simply giving up and lying on his side, staring at the wall and various other inanimate objects.

He had been jumpy all day, eyes constantly scanning the trees for any sign of a large, gray wolf when he was outside and constantly looking towards the door to the house whenever he was inside. He was sure his grandfather had noticed - very little made it past that man - but he hadn't commented, probably believing Lavi's behavior could be attributed to his run-in with the wolf the previous afternoon. Bookman was half-right; it had everything to do with the wolf, but the daylight incident had been almost completely blown out of his mind.

It was just about midnight when he heard a quiet knock on the door to the house. He didn't move, staying frozen on his pallet. After a minute, the knock came again.

He didn't move. Five minutes passed.

Again, the knock came, but slightly louder than before. Before two minutes had passed, there was another, louder knock.

Lavi didn't move. Perhaps if Tyki thought he was sleeping, he'd leave.

Again, louder. Then louder.

Lavi winced at the noise, curling in on himself and covering his ears. The knocking continued, getting louder and more frequent.

Across the room, Bookman began to stir in his sleep. Lavi heard the blankets rustling and looked, seeing the old man's eyes flutter.

"Lavi...?" Bookman said, moving to sit up. With a mental sigh, Lavi got up and walked over to his grandfather. As he stood, he grabbed his eyepatch from where it rested on the floor next to his bed and tied it on with the ease of long practice.

"It's OK, Gramps," he said, gently pushing on the old man's shoulder. "Go back to sleep. I'll go see who it is."

His grandfather didn't need to know about Tyki and the wolf-man would probably just ask for Lavi anyway.

Bookman rested back against the pillow, closing his eyes and scowling faintly. Lavi's face mirrored the expression as he turned towards the door and began stalking towards it. The knocking was now ceaseless and loud, almost echoing through the house.

He stomped through the small living space and the kitchen, his steps drowned out by the knocking. He reached the door and yanked it open, in his anger forgetting the kiss the previous night.

As expected, Tyki stood outside, his hand raised to knock. The man slowly lowered it, smiling at the redhead.

"I was beginning to think that you weren't going to answer, Red," he said, smile morphing into a smirk. He had known that Lavi hadn't been planning to answer and was pleased he had forced the redhead into answering anyway. He stepped forward and Lavi suddenly regretted opening the door so wide. He tried to backtrack, stepping backwards and moving to shut the door, but Tyki was too quick. The wolf-man stepped into the doorway before the door could shut, blocking it with his body. Lavi shoved against the door anyway, trying to force Tyki out, but the man's stance held firm.

"Now, now..." Tyki said, smirking widely. Lavi glared in response. "Won't you let me in?"

"No," Lavi hissed, trying to force the door shut. A hand snaked in and grabbed his wrist, yanking him to the side. Lavi nearly fell from the unexpected pull, tripping towards the wall at the side of the door and allowing Tyki all the room he needed to shove the door wide open. The wood banged against the wall as Tyki forced his way in, grabbing Lavi's other wrist with his free hand. The redhead stared at the wolf-man in shock and a tiny bit of honest fear, body stilling.

Tyki's expression went soft, his smirk fading.

"I don't mean to make you afraid," he said, loosening his grip. Lavi quickly tore his wrists free, backing away so he was out of reach of the other man. Tyki watched him, a hint of regret entering his expression. For a second, Lavi almost felt guilty, but he steeled himself, reminding himself that not only was Tyki an intruder in his home, but was also supposedly a murderer.

Kanda's words came back to him. Lavi's eyes narrowed. If the rumor were true, then the man standing in front of him was responsible for at least eight deaths.

"Get out," he said. Tyki's eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to protest, but Lavi shook his head vehemently. "Get out!"

Silence, then...

"Fine." Tyki's voice was cool and the redhead watched the man turn towards the still-open door and begin walking out. Tyki paused at the threshold, looking back at Lavi over his shoulder. "I shall see you tomorrow night."

Tyki shut the door behind him. Lavi didn't move for several minutes, holding one of his wrists with his other hand. His gaze softened just a bit as he looked at the floor.

He hadn't hurt the wolf, had he? He had barely known the man for two days, yet...

He locked the door and headed out of the kitchen, touching one hand to his chest as he headed back to bed. He really needed some sleep.

Line Break

An hour later, he was still tossing and turning and just as sleepless as ever. He had tiptoed back into the room to find Bookman deeply asleep, but that same oblivion had eluded him. His thoughts kept traveling back to Tyki.

The man had stolen a kiss and had forced his way into the house earlier, but...

Why did he feel so guilty about turning the man away?

With a quiet growl he sat up and slipped out of bed. He would just go for a walk to clear his head. Maybe just across the street and a few feet into the woods and if he happened to run into Tyki-

He cut that thought off, heading towards the door. His boots were sitting peacefully next to the door and he slipped them on, opening up the door quietly and heading out. He ignored the red cloak hanging on its peg by the door. He wouldn't be gone long.

The night air was cold and he shivered slightly, almost turning around to grab his cloak but deciding against it.

Fixing his face determinedly, he looked towards the woods. They were dark and foreboding and he shivered again, though this time not from cold. He began heading across the grass, listening to the quiet 'clomp clomp' his shoes made on the dirt road as he walked across it towards the trees.

He hesitated at the forest's edge. It was rather dark. He couldn't see a foot in.

He glanced back towards his home, then looked back into the dense foliage.

"Tyki?" he called uncertainly, then waited. He heard the wind rustle the leaves, but there was no other sound and definitely no response.

When ten minutes had passed he sighed and slowly stepped forward, glancing one last time towards his home before turning his gaze forward and moving deeper into the trees.

The night was mostly silent around him, though he could faintly hear the chirping of a few crickets. Some part of his brain was telling him that he was being incredibly stupid, but he ignored that part of his brain and trudged forward. Progress was slow because he couldn't see very well - the night was dark and it was even darker under the trees, meaning that half the time he couldn't see the trees until his nose was almost pressed to the bark. He held his hands out in front of himself, doing his best to keep walking in a straight line so that he wouldn't get lost. He wouldn't be able to find his way out until morning if he lost his way.

Leaves and twigs crunched underfoot and he stumbled more than once over dips and lifts in the ground he couldn't see in the dark. He kept moving doggedly forward, blindly trying to find the wolf that might be miles away by now.

"Tyki?" he called again, louder. Something crunched behind him and he turned, squinting through the gloom to try and make out what had made the noise. Absently, he noticed that the crickets had fallen silent some time ago.

A wolf stood there, tall and proud on all four paws. Lavi took a step towards it, trying to make out the color of its fur.

"Tyki?" he said, questioning. His steps halted.

The wolf, though bigger than most wolves, was not as large as Tyki and nor was its fur the same color. This smaller wolf had gray fur, but it was blue-tinged and much wilder than Tyki's fur.

The creature growled at him, slowly advancing. Lavi scrambled backwards, mentally cursing himself as the blue wolf stalked towards him. Its eyes glowed amber, just like Tyki's, and Lavi was struck by sudden inspiration.

He held up his hands, showing that he carried no weapon.

"Please - I'm just looking for someone," he said weakly, hoping that this smaller wolf could understand him. Could they understand human speech in wolf form? Lavi had read stories about wolf-men before he had ever met Tyki, but he had half-assumed that they were all fiction until he had seen Tyki transform before his eyes. Now he wished he had paid more attention. "His name is Tyki-"

The blue wolf growled and leapt, jaws opening and aiming for his neck. Lavi yelped and turned, slipping on the leaves covering the forest floor and hitting the ground hard. He cried out, struggling to his feet when a weight slammed into him. He was shoved on to his back, head pillowed by the carpet of leaves and a heavy weight on his chest.

He stared in horror at the snarling blue wolf on his chest, hands coming up to instinctively defend himself as it snapped at his nose. He pushed at the beast's muzzle - avoiding its sharp teeth- and at its neck, trying to shove it off his body so he could break free.

He barely noticed the sound of another wolf rapidly approaching, though he did notice when a slightly larger, definitely gray wolf leapt at the blue beast's side and tackled it off of the redhead's body. The pair of wolves rolled several feet as Lavi scrambled up and backed up against a nearby tree. He watched, wide-eyed, as the two wolves briefly fought and then the gray one he recognized as Tyki pinned the smaller one beneath him, growling dangerously at it. The two held the pose for several seconds, then the blue wolf shifted.

Lavi watched as the creature's hind legs changed to human legs, covered by a pair of cloth pants that were rolled three or four times at the bottom. Short boots, likely made of animal hide, as were Lavi's own shoes, were on the human's feet. The forelegs turned into arms and the torso changed, revealing a white, poofy shirt that hung loosely on the child's frame. The wolf's head was the last thing to change, the hair and snout shrinking in to form a small nose and spiky, wild hair the same color as the wolf's fur had been. The child's - judging from the clothes and haircut, a boy - skin was the same shade of gray as Tyki's skin, making Lavi briefly wonder if that was one of the identifying marks of a wolf-person. The transformation, from start to finish, took maybe thirty seconds and Lavi stared, dumbfounded, as the boy laughed loudly and threw his arms around the gray wolf's neck.

"Uncle Tyki!" he said happily, nuzzling into the thick fur around Tyki's neck. "I knew I'd find you!"

The boy's voice was oddly high and feminine, Lavi noted with some puzzlement. He had to be in his teens, so either his voice hadn't deepened yet or 'he' was a she in boys' clothes.

The gray wolf seemed to sigh and then shifted as well. The legs thickened and darkened, forming legs Lavi recognized as Tyki's as the torso and arms changed from wolfish and covered with gray fur to human and covered by a white shirt. The fur on Tyki's head slid to the back of the man's human head, darkening slowly until it was the color of ink. It was pinched at the base of his skull by some sort of cord, a few locks hanging around his face while the rest spilled halfway down his back in a ponytail.

Tyki, now fully transformed, hugged the child to him, then pulled back, resting both of his hands on the younger wolf's shoulders and looking the kid in the eye. The other werewolf stared back innocently, amber eyes wide.

"Road," Tyki said, voice fond but slightly exasperated. "How many times have I told you now not to scare the humans?"

Road folded his - her? - arms, lips pursed into a pout that fought to keep from being a smile.

"But it's funny! It wasn't like I was going to hurt him," Road said. Tyki sighed and stood up, offering his hand to Road. The younger werewolf took it happily, springing up to stand and then wrapping both arms around the older man's waist. Road nestled into Tyki's side and he sighed again, though this time the sound was fond rather than exasperated. He laid one hand in Road's hair, scratching the younger wolf's scalp lightly, and Road hummed in contentment, smiling up at him. Tyki smiled back.

Lavi just stared, still dumbfounded.

Watching the wolf-man now, it was hard to believe that he might have been responsible for the deaths of eight people. Lavi swallowed heavily, suddenly recalling Kanda's warning. Had Tyki really murdered people? Killed them with the same hands he used to embrace the little child he now held?

Had Road helped?

A little voice spoke up in the back of his head. No one had ever proven that the wolf (wolves, he corrected himself) had done anything other than exist in the same woods the bodies were found in. It might not be their fault, even if they had appeared about the same time that the bodies had.

Still, looking at Tyki now, it was hard to think of him as a killer.

Lavi bit his tongue and put the thought out of his mind. Unless he found out otherwise, he would assume that Tyki was innocent. The thought sat a lot better with him than his earlier assumption of the man's guilt and it felt like a weight had suddenly lifted from the redhead's shoulders.

The wolf-man's gaze turned from Road to Lavi, his smile fading. The redhead looked away guiltily, then swallowed heavily and looked back up, stepping away from the safety of the tree. He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words.

"He said he was looking for you," Road commented, looking at Lavi with interest and answering Lavi's unasked question about whether or not the wolves could understand human speech.

"Did he now..." Tyki said slowly, keeping his eyes on the redhead. Lavi met his eyes, staring into the amber depths. Road looked back at Tyki, curious.

"Who is he?"

Tyki tore his gaze away from Lavi and looked back at the small child. He smiled gently.

"Someone I need to talk to. Run along - I'll be with you in a few minutes," he said. Road eyed him suspiciously for a moment, then nodded and let go of his waist.

"All right, but I'll come back and get you if you don't come find me soon," the younger wolf promised, turning away and changing shape in the same motion. Lavi watched as the wolf trotted off, soon disappearing into the dark woods surrounding them. Lavi stared at the spot for several seconds longer, only looking up when he heard quiet steps approaching him.

Tyki was standing in front of him, perhaps an arms length away, his amber eyes puzzled as he stared at Lavi's face. Lavi tried to smile, but it faltered and failed.

"Why are you here, Red?" Tyki asked him softly. "These woods aren't safe at night. Be glad you ran into my niece. She's playful, but I have yet to see her harm anyone."

Niece? So Road was female. Lavi filed the information away and then shivered, remembering being pinned down by the blue wolf before Tyki had come to his rescue. It had certainly been scary at the time, but in hindsight it was obvious that she hadn't really been attacking in earnest. Her claws hadn't scratched him at all and she hadn't bitten into his hand or his arm, simply snapped her jaws and kept him pinned.

"I..." Lavi started, then stopped. He shrugged. He really didn't know why. "I wanted to see you."

He could practically hear the man's disbelief as he watched Tyki raise one perfectly shaped eyebrow.

"Oh? Did you now..." Tyki said, sarcasm dripping from every word. "The way you told me to 'get out' earlier, I was a bit confused."

Lavi winced, only the faintest stir of anger rising within him. He had deserved that.

"I'm sor-" he started, then stopped. Why on earth was he apologizing? Tyki had been the one to steal a kiss and practically break in to Lavi's home, so why...?

The man's regretful look from an hour ago flashed back in to Lavi's mind.

"I'm sorry," the redhead said, meeting Tyki's eyes steadily and not flinching when the wolf-man's eyes widened with surprise.

"On the contrary, shouldn't I apologize to you?" Tyki asked, stepping closer. Lavi could feel the other man's body heat and he hesitantly stepped closer, shivering slightly at the other's warmth.

"For what?" Lavi asked, only half-serious. "Kissing me or shoving your way through the door?"

Tyki shifted closer, perhaps noticing Lavi's chilled state.

"I won't apologize for kissing you," Tyki said, lifting his arms and slowly wrapping them around the redhead, watching for any sign of rejection. Lavi tensed slightly and Tyki stopped, holding his arms in midair several inches from the young man's body. The redhead forced himself to relax, hesitantly lifting his own arms to wrap around the wolf-man's waist. Tyki's arms settled around him seconds later and pulled him closer to the dark-skinned man's body, pressing them together. "But I could apologize for forcing my way into your home."

Lavi's arms tightened around Tyki.

"It's OK," he said, frowning slightly. It really was ok, though he didn't quite understand why. It felt strangely natural to hold and be held by Tyki, though that was just as confusing as the first feeling.

He didn't believe in love at first sight. He really didn't, but...

What was this then? He hadn't known the man two full days and he already knew what Tyki's kiss tasted like. If he was being honest with himself, he wanted to taste it again. It would be easy to write off the emotion as lust but for the fact that his heart seemed to be just involved. It was his heart that had driven him out here tonight, after all, not any other part of his anatomy.

"What is this?" he asked, burying his face in the other's neck. "What are you?"

Tyki paused and seemed to consider his words before he spoke.

"Your kind refer to mine as 'werewolves'," Tyki began. Lavi nodded, keeping his face buried in Tyki's skin. He inhaled deeply, smelling the mingled scents of damp earth and pine. "Wolves mate for life, Red."

Lavi swallowed heavily, stomach sinking heavily even as his heart began to flutter. He shivered again, though he was no longer cold thanks to the wolf-man's body heat. Tyki, not knowing the reason, held him tighter and Lavi didn't object.

"Werewolves are no different." Tyki paused. "Well, not very different. When we come of age and we change for the first time, it is a painful and long process. It lasts exactly one lunar cycle, beginning when the full moon is high in the sky and ending only when the full moon rises to its peak again. During that time, each wolf sees a vision. That vision repeats over and over again until each wolf remembers the scent, taste, and sight of their Intended."

Lavi stilled in the man's hold, eye widening. Tyki continued, voice growing soft.

"That person I saw, Red-"

"-was me," Lavi finished, lifting his head. He didn't look at the other man's face, lifting his hands to push slightly at Tyki's shoulders. The wolf-man held on to him for a moment longer, then reluctantly let him go. Lavi backed up a step, just far enough to pass out of the heat radiating from Tyki's body. He breathed in, the sound strangled even to his own ears.

"Red-"

"I just met you yesterday," Lavi said dumbly, disbelievingly. "I just met you, a man, yesterday, you kissed me last night, and now you're telling me I'm your 'intended'?!"

He knew his voice was hysterical but he couldn't help it. He felt Tyki's hands grip his elbows but he yanked his arms free, backing up until his back hit the tree. He hugged his arms to himself, hands wrapped around the elbow of the opposite arm. He refused to look at Tyki.

"Red..." Tyki's voice trailed off into a quiet sigh. "It was too early to tell you this."

It wasn't a question so Lavi didn't respond.

"You don't even know my name," Lavi said quietly. He heard the wolf-man step forward again and shrunk back against the tree trunk. Tyki stopped moving.

"Shall I walk you back home? I doubt very much that you can see in this dark," Tyki asked softly. Lavi nodded, hesitantly moving away from the tree though he still refused to look at the other man for longer than a few seconds.

He missed the regretful look that crossed the werewolf's face as Tyki turned and began leading the human unerringly back to his home. Lavi followed silently, looking at the surroundings woods more often than the man in front of him.

A minute into their walk, a wolf with blue-tinged fur slipped out from between the trees and began strolling next to Tyki. Lavi recognized it as Road, the girl Tyki had called his niece.

Road lifted her head up under one of Tyki's hands, nudging him and then looking up at him, as though trying to cheer him up. Lavi saw the man smile sadly down at her and run his hand over his head, scratching behind one of her ears.

The three continued to walk in silence, Road padding quietly beside her uncle and Lavi trailing behind the both of them. At the edge of the woods Tyki stopped and stood to the side. Road did the same, turning her keen eyes to Lavi as both waited for the redhead to pass.

Lavi looked at them uncertainly, taking a few steps forward until he, too, was standing at the edge. He looked across the road, seeing his home sitting there.

"Go on," Tyki said quietly, touching the small of Lavi's back and lightly pressing to urge him forward. "Just remember; do not enter these woods at night again. You were fortunate tonight that you ran into Road instead of some of my other relatives, but I doubt you'll be so lucky again."

Lavi didn't move, staring at his house for a long moment before turning his gaze to Tyki.

"My name is Lavi," he offered, biting his lip after he said it. Tyki looked surprised, but then the man smiled. He moved closer and leaned over to whisper in the redhead's ear.

"Go on then, Lavi," Tyki said in his ear, the redhead's name said slowly and savored like it was a particularly fine, particularly rare chocolate. The hand at the small of his back pushed him lightly again. "I will come for you again tonight."

Lavi smiled hesitantly, turning away from the man and walking towards his house. It wasn't quite predawn yet, but close enough.

As he entered his house he glanced back, able to see the eyes of two wolves watching him from the tree-line. He gave a small wave and opened up the door, letting himself in.

When he shut the door and looked back, the wolves were gone.

TBC…

A/N: And so, the introduction of Road. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! The next chapter will be posted in two weeks.

PLEASE remember to review if you Favorite.


	3. Moonlit Walk

Warnings: YAOI, which means BOYS LOVING BOYS. If you dislike that, then the back button is easy enough to find. Please click that and leave. Possible OOC. Alternate Universe.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Wish they were, but Katsura Hoshino owns all.

Notes: Well, this fic started as a oneshot based off of Little Red Riding Hood. About two pages in, I figured out that this no longer had anything whatsoever to do with Little Red Riding Hood. _ I hope you all enjoy!

Dedicated to SisterWicked, Niamh (both of AssHat Productions, a group I'm a proud member of), and Cackles for reading this over before I posted and giving me tips and the confidence boost I needed so I could make this fic available to the general public. All remaining mistakes are mine.

Super special awesome thanks to Niamh for coming up with the title of this fic!

Last Time:

Lavi smiled hesitantly, turning away from the man and walking towards his house. It wasn't quite predawn yet, but close enough.

As he entered his house he glanced back, able to see the eyes of two wolves watching him from the tree-line. He gave a small wave and opened up the door, letting himself in.

When he shut the door and looked back, the wolves were gone.

And Now, The Continuation:

Chapter 3

Moonlit Walk

Lavi waited in the kitchen, dressed in his day-clothes instead of his pajamas. A shirt made from homespun cloth hand-stitched for him by his good friend Lenalee kept his torso warm and his pants were made from the tanned hide of a deer to protect his legs from the chill. A candle was lit on the table behind him and he looked around the room aimlessly, waiting for the sound of a knock. The flickering flame cast strange shadows on the wall, but he barely took notice of them. Every few moments, his gaze would be drawn to the door and he would stare at the window, willing the shape of a man's head to appear in a silhouette.

He stifled a yawn, keeping his eye on the door. He was exhausted, the past two mostly-sleepless nights taking their toll on him and his energy. Still, the thought of crawling into bed and falling asleep only to miss Tyki's knock was somehow repugnant.

Lavi stared seriously at the door, not really seeing it.

He still didn't understand. 'Intended'? It certainly sounded like 'soul mate' to him, especially the way Tyki had been describing it. Though he could admit he did feel something for the strange werewolf, he still didn't believe in love at first sight. Hearing that someone he had just met considered them soul mates...

It was ridiculous. Utterly preposterous, and yet...

Being Tyki's 'intended' would explain why the man hadn't attacked him that first day. Chased him, sure, but Lavi couldn't recall so much as one instance that the gray wolf had bared its fangs in a threat or tried to take a bite out of him.

A quiet knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Lavi looked up, unable to help the small, uncertain smile that stole across his face when he recognized the outline of Tyki's head in the window. Before Tyki could knock again, Lavi had blown out the candle and stood up. The redhead walked over to the door, opening it up as he reached for the cloak on the peg by the door. With it in hand, he turned his gaze to the man waiting outside.

Tyki, as expected, stood there, smiling. Not quite as expected was the little girl standing next to him. Road smiled cutely up at Lavi, waving her hand in silent greeting. Lavi looked towards Tyki for an explanation. The man shrugged.

"She asked to come along. I saw no reason to deny her," he said. Road nodded in agreement, then looked searchingly up at the redhead.

"Uncle Tyki told me that you're his Intended," she said, tone assigning great importance to the final word. Lavi nodded bemusedly, not entirely sure what the girl wanted from him. Her grin brightened. "Wonderful! Papa's always told me that finding your Intended was the best thing in the world, so I always felt sorry for Uncle Tyki that he hadn't found his."

"You haven't found yours either," Lavi said, almost defensively. Road shrugged, still smiling.

"I'm still young. I have plenty of time. Uncle's already nearly thirty!"

Lavi looked towards the man, opening his mouth to ask, but Tyki shot a small glare towards the girl.

"I'm twenty-six," he corrected her. She shrugged, as though twenty-six and thirty may as well be the same age. Tyki turned back to Lavi, extending a hand. "Shall we? I doubt you want to wake the old man living with you - your grandfather?"

Lavi nodded, pulling on his cloak and securing it before hesitantly accepting the offered hand and allowing himself to be led from the house. He let the door shut behind himself and he was off with the two werewolves, Road trailing behind while Tyki walked next to him, hands clasped together.

Lavi half-expected them to head into the forest, but to his surprise Tyki turned on the dirt road that skirted the woods and began walking alongside the trees, away from town. Lavi looked back at the dim, flickering lights of the small village before looking at Tyki curiously.

"Where are we going?" he asked. Tyki smiled, keeping his eyes on the road ahead.

"I have no particular destination in mind, Lavi. Is there anywhere you would like to go?"

Lavi shook his head, turning his gaze towards the stars. They twinkled brightly down at him, so clear in the midnight sky.

"Not really," he said. They walked in silence for several more minutes, only their quiet footsteps and Road's occasional giggles sounding in the night. Lavi spoke again.

"Why did you bring me out here?" he asked, tone conversational rather than irritated. Still, Tyki paused in his steps briefly, just long enough for Lavi to notice before the werewolf was walking again.

"Would you rather I had left you at home and not come to see you tonight?"

Something inside Lavi rebelled violently at the thought, but he just shook his head.

"That's not what I mean. It's just..." He sighed, slowing to a stop and letting his hand drop out of Tyki's. Tyki stopped as well, though Road didn't notice and ran right into Lavi before she stopped. The redhead barely even noticed, turning his gaze to Tyki. "I know almost nothing about you. I just feel..." He put a hand to his chest.

"Strange," he concluded. Tyki turned to face him.

"What would you like to know?" he asked. Lavi shrugged, looking around helplessly for some sort of clue.

His eye landed on Road, who was watching their exchange with interest.

"You mentioned that I was lucky I had run into Road and not one of your other relatives." He looked back at Tyki, seeing the man's face close up and turn guarded. "What are they like?"

Tyki chuckled dryly and turned away, looking at the surrounding landscape before heaving a heavy sigh. The man was quiet for so long Lavi just about gave up on getting an answer when the older man began to speak.

"I have an older brother - Sheryl, Road's father-"

Lavi looked at the girl, frowning in puzzlement when he saw he bow her head and kick at a pebble in the road disinterestedly.

"- a pack-sister, Lulubell, and three pack-brothers - Devitto, Jasdero, and Skinn."

Lavi actually heard Road shiver at the last name and glanced towards her. She looked up at that moment, meeting his eyes before looking towards the older werewolf. Lavi followed her gaze. Tyki was staring off into the distance.

"An older wolf - we know him only as the Millennium Earl and don't know his real name - recently became our pack-master. Shortly after that, I left the pack. I didn't approve of their new... activities."

"Activities?" Lavi asked before he could stop himself. Tyki looked at him, opening his mouth to speak, but Road beat him to it.

"The bodies in the woods. They're mostly Skinn's doing, though Lulubell helps out when she's told and Jasdero and Devitto have gotten used to it. Papa doesn't like to get his paws dirty, so he hasn't helped. Much." Road met his gaze, her eyes cold and distant. "The Earl hates all humans and he's trying to wipe them out. Lulubell never particularly cared, so she'll stay with him. Skinn's always angry and Devitto and Jasdero think it's fun to hunt them."

Lavi's eye widened. So the deaths had been caused by the wolves, but from the sound of it, neither Road nor Tyki had had any part in the killings.

"I left as soon as I found out what the Earl planned to do. I knew my intended was human and the Earl would kill him before we could be joined," Tyki said softly. Lavi turned his gaze back to the older werewolf, feeling his body respond to the blatant heat and intensity in the man's gaze. His breath caught and he forgot everything else but Tyki's eyes, the amber gaze drawing him in-

"I've tried to, but Papa won't let me leave the pack and join Uncle Tyki," Road said petulantly, breaking the spell the gray wolf's eyes had placed over Lavi. The redhead tore his gaze away and looked at the girl, lost for words.

"That is why you can't go into the woods at night, Lavi," Tyki said, drawing the human's attention back to himself. Their eyes met again and just like the time before, Lavi couldn't tear his eyes away. "My family members would likely kill you for sport. The forest is their playground. Promise me you won't go in."

Lavi was drowning in amber. Slowly, he felt himself nod.

"I promise."

Tyki smiled, extending his hand for Lavi's again. The redhead took it and the pair continued forward. Road followed after a minute, running up to walk by Tyki's side and latching on to his free arm.

Line Break

Hands were everywhere; smoothing over his chest, tangling in his hair, stroking the hardness between his legs. He wanted to be afraid, but he could smell the scent of damp earth and pine and couldn't feel fear.

There were only two hands. He knew that, and yet it felt like there were four, eight, sixteen, thirty-two touching him and caressing his bare skin. He moaned from the sensations and felt lips capture his own and swallow his sounds. Other sets of lips brushed his skin, moving silkily over his heated flesh and drawing out his pleasure.

He heard his name moaned in his ear, lustful and possessive and so familiar and deep. The sound traveled through his body as a shiver of desire and he cried out wordless pleas for more - more of those hands, more of those lips, more words in that voice and tone, just more of the other man-

"Lavi?"

He shook his head in denial. That voice was all wrong - too gravelly, too old, and with none of the passion he had heard seconds ago. The hands began to fade, the lips leaving only lingering heat on his skin as the scene around him began to disappear. He reached for it desperately, calling for the man whose hands he had been able to feel-

"Lavi, wake up."

No, he wouldn't. He wasn't asleep, was he? Those sensations, he could still feel-

"Lavi!"

The redhead woke with a start, his eyes snapping open. With his one good eye he could see Bookman standing over him and he sat up, eyes darting to the window.

From the amount of sunlight pouring in, the sun was probably fairly high in the sky though it couldn't yet be midday. Lavi groaned, slapping a hand to his forehead. He had overslept; no wonder his grandfather had decided to wake him up.

"Sorry," he said, removing his hand and turning towards the old man. The motion caused the blankets bunched around his waist to brush against him and he had to fight back a sudden gasp at the spike of unexpected pleasure. In horror, he glanced down and saw the blankets tenting over his crotch. His face instantly went bright red and he grabbed the blankets, franticly moving them to try and conceal his state from his grandfather though he was almost certain the man had already noticed.

Or heard. His face grew even darker as he wondered what kind of sounds he had been making in his sleep.

Bookman's face was a carefully neutral mask as he nodded and then turned towards the door. Lavi watched him go, waves of embarrassment pouring over him.

"Breakfast is already on the table, though by now it is probably cold," Bookman said, exiting and shutting the door to their shared room behind him to allow Lavi some privacy.

Lavi folded his legs up to his chest, crossed his arms over his knees, and buried his face into said arms, groaning.

It hadn't even been three full days and he was already having dreams about Tyki! They had kissed once and had nearly kissed again last night, but they hadn't done... that. They hadn't gone nearly that far.

He turned his head to the side, resting his cheek on his crossed limbs as he stared at the wall.

Last night, Tyki and Road had dropped him off at his door about an hour after they had begun walking. He could have sworn that the older werewolf had almost kissed him then. Lavi had paused in the doorway and Tyki had leaned in, mouth coming closer and closer. Lavi had tilted his head, leaning forward just a little-

And then Road had asked if they were going to kiss. Both men had frozen and turned to look at her, then moved apart. They had said goodnight and then the two wolves had disappeared into the woods and Lavi had snuck into his room and gone to sleep.

At least Tyki had promised to come again tonight, though if this morning was any indication, today was going to be a long day.

Line Break

Lavi walked next to Tyki, holding the werewolf's hand as he had done the night before. True to his word and to tradition - and it hadn't even been a week, so how was it that they had a 'tradition' already? - he had knocked softly on the door in the middle of the night. Lavi had been waiting, dressed only in his usual animal-hide pants and shirt of homespun cloth. He had foregone his cloak since the night was unseasonably warm, and had opened the door almost before the knock had come, eager to see the two wolves he knew were waiting for him outside.

Road had latched on to his waist, nearly tackling him in a hug that had taken him by surprise. After looking at Tyki - who had been amused, damn him - for help, he had tentatively put one hand on her head and wrapped the other awkwardly around her shoulders. She had smiled up at him and then released him to go back to her uncle's side. They had fallen into the formation they had found the night before - Tyki and Lavi holding hands with Road alternating walking behind them, skipping ahead, and clinging to Tyki's free arm. They talked as often as not, but it was rarely anything of consequence or anything as heavy as the redhead's question about Tyki's family.

They hadn't brought the subject of 'intended' up again, though it did hover in the air between them. Every so often, Lavi could feel the werewolf watching him intently as though trying to figure him out. The redhead doubted the older man had been able to discover anything; these days, he didn't understand himself. It felt so natural to trust Tyki, like the wolf-man was a person he could trust unquestionably with anything and be confident that Tyki would return the trust in kind. Lavi had never felt such easy acceptance in any relationship he had had, romantic or platonic, and especially not so quickly. It was almost frightening, but for some reason he wasn't afraid of Tyki or of anything having to do with him.

They walked in silence and it was an easy silence, not strained or made awkward by the issue hanging over their heads. It was oddly peaceful, though Lavi had always been the type who liked to fill silences with talk.

Lavi looked towards the trees, idly scanning the dark forest as they walked along the dirt road.

His gaze stopped being so idle when he saw a shadow moving through the woods next to them. He squinted, unconsciously stepping towards the trees in order to get a better look.

"Lavi?" Tyki asked, feeling the slight pull on his hand. He turned, glancing in the same direction Lavi was looking in, and stilled suddenly. Lavi glanced back towards him, concerned.

Tyki's eyes were narrowed into a glare as he stared at the apparently dead forest, then his gaze softened somewhat as he looked towards Lavi. He tugged the redhead's hand, pulling the human to his side. Lavi followed without complaint, glancing towards Road to see if she could give him some idea of what had Tyki acting the way he was.

The girl's eyes were fixed on the woods as well, a disappointed look on her face. Lavi looked at Tyki again, puzzled.

"Tyki, what-"

The werewolf shook his head, clasping his hand tighter around Lavi's.

"You can come out now, Sheryl."

TBC…

A/N: Okay, so show of hands, who wants to kill me for the cliffhanger?

The next chapter will be posted in two weeks. Thanks to everyone who has read my other DGM fics! I promise AGoP will be updated as soon as possible. The sequel to 'Tradition' will be posted as close to New Year's Day as possible. (Yes, it will be a oneshot series)


	4. Sheryl

**Warnings: YAOI, which means BOYS LOVING BOYS. If you dislike that, then the back button is easy enough to find. Please click that and leave. Possible OOC. Alternate Universe.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Wish they were, but Katsura Hoshino owns all.**

**Notes: Well, this fic started as a oneshot based off of Little Red Riding Hood. About two pages in, I figured out that this no longer had anything whatsoever to do with Little Red Riding Hood. _ I hope you all enjoy!**

**Dedicated to SisterWicked, Niamh (both of AssHat Productions, a group I'm a proud member of), and Cackles for reading this over before I posted and giving me tips and the confidence boost I needed so I could make this fic available to the general public. All remaining mistakes are mine.**

**Super special awesome thanks to Niamh for coming up with the title of this fic!**

**Last Time:**

**The girl's eyes were fixed on the woods as well, a disappointed look on her face. Lavi looked at Tyki again, puzzled.**

**"Tyki, what-"**

**The werewolf shook his head, clasping his hand tighter around Lavi's.**

**"You can come out now, Sheryl."**

**And Now, The Continuation:**

Chapter 4

Sheryl

"You can come out now, Sheryl," Tyki said, tone civil but cold. The name seemed vaguely familiar to Lavi, but he couldn't place where he had heard it. He looked towards the trees, following Tyki's gaze, just in time to see a tall, thin man with a monocle and hair longer and tamer than Tyki's step out from between the trees. They were even dressed similarly, though the monocle-wearing stranger also had on a black vest and seemed slightly older. His skin was just as gray as Road's skin and Tyki's, his eyes just as brightly colored.

It clicked.

Sheryl was also the name of Tyki's older brother, wasn't it? This man must be that same older brother.

Sheryl walked over to them slowly, eyeing Lavi with interest before his gaze turned to Road. His face broke into a wide smile and he crouched down, opening his arms wide. Lavi stared as Road ran over to him and practically tackled him in a hug, just like she did with Tyki.

She drew back after a moment, staring up at him with a pout on her face.

"I wanted to stay with Uncle Tyki longer," she said, sounding much younger than her supposed fifteen years. Sheryl smiled dotingly back at her.

"I know, Road, but the Earl wondered where you ran off to last night. I wondered too, but I knew my little girl could take care of herself!" Sheryl said each word adoringly, like Road was the new Messiah and only he knew. "Still, next time you leave the pack, tell Papa where you're going?"

Road nodded reluctantly and Sheryl scooped her up in his arms, hugging her tightly and spinning around in a circle one full turn before setting her back on the ground. She was laughing as he did so, her mirth almost enough to make Lavi forget that Sheryl was one of the wolves responsible for the killings in the woods.

Road's words echoed in his head.

'"Papa doesn't like to get his paws dirty, so he hasn't helped. Much."'

He moved a bit closer to Tyki, recalling the man's warning that the other members of Tyki's pack would hunt him for sport. Lavi doubted that Sheryl would attack him in front of Tyki - if Sheryl did, Lavi was fairly confident that Tyki would defend him, but for all he knew Tyki might just literally throw him to the wolves - but being closer to Tyki made him feel safer.

His movement drew Sheryl's attention away from his daughter and back to the human-werewolf pair still standing in the roadway. Sheryl turned his wide grin to Tyki, looking just as delighted to see the gray werewolf as he had been to see his daughter.

"Brother! Handsome as always!" Sheryl commented, then turned his gaze to Lavi. His smile faded slightly, changing from excitement to interest. Lavi shifted uncomfortably, trying to sneakily hide behind Tyki's body. "And who might this be?"

The redhead heard Tyki sigh softly.

"You haven't changed a bit," Tyki said to Sheryl, sounding faintly exasperated. Sheryl nodded as though proud of himself.

Tyki gently tugged Lavi forward by their joined hands, but still kept him close. Lavi saw Sheryl's eyes dart down towards their clasped hands and then back to Tyki, a look of mild astonishment on his face.

"Lavi is Uncle Tyki's Intended," Road said in a hushed voice, again speaking the last word as though it was something to be revered. Lavi looked down at the ground, feeling suddenly out of place.

What did he truly know about werewolves and their Intended anyway?

He frowned, realizing that he had thought about the term the same way Road spoke of it.

"A human?" Sheryl asked for confirmation. Tyki nodded and Sheryl studied Lavi for a moment before bobbing his head in reply, as though he had just understood something. "No wonder you left the pack when you found out what the Earl had planned."

Tyki 'mmm'd without really answering. Sheryl ignored the less-than-warm reaction and continued speaking.

"When are you returning to the pack, anyway? Once you've mated, the Earl probably wouldn't challenge his right to be part of the pack. He's never challenged Tricia's right, and now, without Skinn... Lulubell might back him up, but in a fair fight I'm sure you could take them both. The Earl isn't exactly young and Lulubell would submit once you killed him."

Sheryl spoke in such a conversational tone it took Lavi a moment to grasp the gist of what he was saying. Most of it made little sense, but the part about 'mated' and 'killed' came through loud and clear.

He opened his mouth to object; whether it was to object to 'mating' with Tyki or an objection to talking so cavalierly about killing someone else he wasn't sure. He hadn't known Tyki a week - that was hardly basis enough for the kiss they had shared that first night and certainly not enough basis for anything more, no matter how tempting his dream earlier had been. As to killing... even if it was the wolf supposedly responsible for all the deaths of humans, wasn't that a matter that should be handled by the law and not a one-wolf coup?

"Skinn is dead?" Tyki asked, surprised. Sheryl nodded pleasantly, as though the death didn't affect him in the least. Lavi couldn't help but stare in shock; hadn't Skinn been Sheryl's pack-brother, as he had been Tyki's? Shouldn't there be some kind of emotion attached with that?

What the hell had he gotten himself pulled in to?

"We told him to stop stalking the boy on the other side of the woods but he was determined to kill such a 'sweet boy'." The way Sheryl said it made it obvious that the words 'sweet boy' did not belong to him - perhaps they belonged to Skinn? Lavi didn't know. He had never met that wolf. "He finally got himself killed by that swordsman that always followed the boy around."

Lavi's eye widened in shock. How many boys had swordsmen following them around, especially on the other side of the woods? The only swordsman the redhead knew of that lived in the area was Kanda, meaning the 'sweet boy' had to be Allen.

He felt a chill travel through him. Kanda had been his friend since they were both small and he had befriended Allen when the white-haired boy had moved into town five years ago. To hear that either of them had been stalked by a wolf as fearsome-sounding as Skinn...

He shuddered inwardly.

"I don't suppose you had anything to do with his untimely death, Sheryl?" Tyki asked, almost sounding amused. Lavi jerked his gaze towards the werewolf in horrified shock. Surely Tyki didn't approve...?

He could hear Sheryl chuckle and looked over towards the man. He was smiling innocently, far too innocently. Another cold shiver went through the redhead's body and this time he couldn't keep it internal. He felt rather than saw Tyki look over at him. The gray werewolf moved closer to him, trying to offer him both heat and comfort, whichever he'd need, but Lavi tugged his hand free of Tyki's grip and shuffled a few inches to the side, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away. He could almost feel Tyki half-reach for him and then drop his hand, but didn't look up.

"I may have snapped a twig the swordsman might have heard at a time when it would be bad for him to look up," Sheryl said, looking curiously at the redhead. "Skinn probably should have stayed inside the forest itself rather than try to sneak on to the road. The boy would have eventually wandered too close to the trees without his swordsman friend hovering over him, but Skinn never did have much patience. If the twig I snapped happened to lead to Skinn's demise..." Sheryl shrugged, turning back to Tyki and smiling again. "Who could say?"

"Interesting," Tyki replied, sounding like he was giving something a considerable amount of thought. "And without Skinn..."

"Devitto is getting tired of hunting humans," Sheryl said, voice turning silky and very pleased. "Jasdero just follows Devitto, you know that. I never cared for humans, but I admit hunting them never crossed my mind until the Earl killed our previous pack leader and began directing us to attack travelers. Lulubell has always been indifferent to anything but the orders of the alpha. Skinn was the only one who posed and real sort of problem in taking the Earl down, and now Skinn is gone."

Sheryl definitely sounded pleased with himself at that. Lavi looked away again.

"Is this your way of trying to bring me back to the pack?" Tyki asked, sounding like he already knew the answer.

"Now brother, why would you think that?" Sheryl asked by way of reply. "You would make a wonderful pack leader. Who else could lead us?"

"You could always lead," Tyki replied indifferently. Sheryl chuckled at that.

"I'm not suited to it. I prefer the simple life with my beloved Road and darling Tricia." There was quiet for several long seconds and then Sheryl spoke again. "Now Road, time to say goodbye to your uncles."

Lavi looked up at the plural, stunned. Road was nodding at her father, acting not at all surprised by Sheryl use of 'uncles' rather than 'uncle'. Lavi's voice was stuck in his throat as he watched the girl skip over to Tyki and throw her arms around his waist in a hug. The older man returned the affectionate gesture, smiling faintly, and then Road turned towards Lavi. As she took a step towards him, he found his voice.

"But we're- I mean, I'm not-" he said, words tripping over his tongue as he tried to say five things at once. Road ignored his babble and hugged him tightly around the waist, just as she had done with Tyki.

"Oh-ho. He speaks," Sheryl said, looking pleased with himself again. "I was beginning to wonder if he was mute."

Lavi glared at the man, opening his mouth to protest hotly, but Tyki's voice interrupted what he had been about to say.

"Sheryl," Tyki admonished. Sheryl looked at his younger brother innocently, tilting his head as though curious.

"Yes, brother?"

Tyki sighed.

"Lavi is my Intended, true, but he is not mine yet."

Was that... regret?

The redhead felt Road's arms tighten around his waist and he moved his attention back to the girl. She smiled sweetly up at him.

"Aren't you going to hug me back?" she asked. Hesitantly, Lavi moved his arms so he was hugging her around her shoulders. She made a content sound and briefly tightened her hold before releasing him and skipping back to her father.

"He isn't yours yet?" Sheryl asked sounding truly surprised. "What are you waiting for?"

Lavi narrowed his eye into a glare, opening his mouth to object, but Tyki beat him to it again.

"I'm waiting for him. You remember that humans do things differently, correct? If I remember, it took you months to make your darling Tricia your own."

Lavi's anger dimmed. He looked towards Tyki, but the werewolf wasn't watching him.

Sheryl nodded, a broad, proud smile forming on his face.

"Tricia was a proper lady, true, and I did have to ask her father for her hand, but the wedding night made everything worth it. Her mother was half-scared that I had already impregnated her darling daughter when I showed up at their house and asked to marry her the next morning, but since the wedding invitations needed to be sent and the dress made, I ended up waiting three months for her to be mine." Sheryl sighed happily, putting one hand on top of Road's head and ruffling her hair. She shrieked, lifting her hands to bat at the hand in her hair, but she was smiling. "And nine months later, Tricia gave me my lovely daughter."

Road beamed up at him, standing just a tiny bit straighter with pride.

Lavi watched the scene silently. It seemed almost impossible that Sheryl had just been talking casually about murder moments ago and was now so doting on his daughter. It was hard to reconcile the two images, though not nearly as difficult as it was to reconcile the two images he had of Tyki - the man who had casually discussed murder with his brother and seemed to approve and the man who had held his hand and nearly kissed him last night.

Which was their true nature? Lavi didn't know.

He was still turning over the question in his mind when Sheryl and Road waved goodbye, only vaguely noting when both transformed into wolves - Sheryl's form was roughly the size of Tyki's wolf form, though Sheryl's fur was black - and ran off into the trees.

Tyki was quiet for several moments after Sheryl and Road had disappeared. Lavi watched him as the werewolf watched the trees, looking away only when Tyki's gaze moved to meet his own. He could feel the older man watch him for half a minute, then Tyki spoke.

"Shall we return you to your home, Lavi?" he asked softly, as though dealing with a particularly skittish animal. Lavi considered the question for a moment.

Did he want to go home?

He did, if only so he could process everything he had heard today, but he wanted to stay with Tyki too. That urge frightened him somewhat, but strange as it was he still felt safe with Tyki. The gray werewolf hadn't hurt him, even if said werewolf had been casually discussing murder less than five minutes ago.

He wanted to stay. Besides that, there was one issue that had gone unspoken between them long enough.

He shook his head, almost able to feel Tyki's surprise at his refusal. Taking a deep breath for strength, Lavi looked up and met the older man's gaze.

"Tell me about Intended?" he asked. Tyki seemed even more surprised by the request, but nodded. He stepped towards the redhead but stopped when Lavi tensed uncomfortably. With a regretful look in his eyes, Tyki turned away from Lavi and the forest, eyeing the grassy hillside. He nodded decisively, then looked back at Lavi and motioned for the human to follow. After a second's hesitation, Lavi did.

Tyki walked to the middle of the grassy area, then laid down and folded his arms behind his head and looked up at the stars. Lavi stared at him, momentarily puzzled, then Tyki spoke.

"You might be more comfortable sitting down or laying down. That particular legend is a long one," he said, not looking at the redhead. Lavi bit his lip and sat next to the werewolf, hugging his knees to his chest and looking towards the sky as well.

"No one knows exactly how our race began," Tyki started, speaking softly and slowly. "Legends passed down from pack to pack attribute our existence to the gods of long ago. One jealous god saw the humans and wanted to create something with similar intelligence, but with greater powers and strength. Not knowing how humans were made, he waited until a mother wandered outside the walled gates of the Great City with her son in her arms and stole away the child."

Lavi nodded. Neither he nor his grandfather had ever been particularly religious, but stories of the first human city were hardly myths. Bookman had been part of the dig that had discovered ruins predating recorded history, so it was possible that the gods had existed at some point even if the redhead put no store by them.

"To differentiate his creation from humans, he darkened the child's skin and colored his eyes the same shade as amber. He gave the boy the power to change his shape into a stronger, more powerful form. He gave the boy four strong legs designed for running fast over great distances, thick fur to protect him from the cold and sharp teeth and claws to defend himself with. He gave the boy excellent hearing, extraordinary night vision, and a sense of smell far superior to a human's."

Lavi looked at Tyki, resting his cheek on his crossed arms as he stared at the werewolf. He could feel his eyes - both the good one and the useless - slide partway shut as he listened to the older man speak. He was sleepy and Tyki's voice was oddly soothing, but the words coming out of the werewolf's mouth were interesting enough to keep him awake.

"Soon after, he stole a girl-child from inside the Great City itself and gave her the same coloring and powers he had to the boy. He raised each child separately, training each to be a powerful warrior. When they were old enough, he let them meet. Years later, he wanted to show off the race he had created and introduced his creatures and their children to the humans. The humans did not react... favorably to what they saw as monsters."

Lavi watched the man's expression grow tight, perhaps able to sympathize with the family in the story.

Had Tyki been seen as a monster when he was younger?

Unconsciously, Lavi shifted closer.

"Within a fortnight, all but two of the children and their parents had been killed. Fearing for the lives of themselves and their remaining son and daughter, the parents took them both and fled to the forests. They traveled from town to town, seeking a place they would be accepted, but each town turned them out. The god watched his creations being turned away time and time again and despaired, but found hope when the family took to living in the forests in their beast form. The children soon forgot that they ever were human and split from the parents. Their descendants lost the ability to change and became wolves."

Lavi listened with rapt attention. At some point during the man's story, he had laid down and was now resting in the grass on his side, facing Tyki as the werewolf spoke. He doubted the werewolf even noticed - the man's eyes were staring distantly into the sky.

"The mother and father were devastated at losing their children but the god gave them longer life in the hope that his creations would survive. The couple bore more children, but taught them to not trust the humans and to live a life separate from them. Their children did as they were told even after the parents died and the children went their separate ways, avoiding the humans and well as each other. The god knew that the end of the werewolves would come and despaired again, but the goddess who created the humans stepped forward. She took pity on the poor creatures and it is she who gave that first true generation of werewolves the ability to see their Intended."

Lavi's attention perked up at that. His eye had begun to slide shut, despite his interest in the tale, but with the mention of Intended he was brought back to full alertness and his stare towards Tyki intensified.

"She looked through the mind of each child - supposedly there were nine. The goddess paired each werewolf with a human that would be compatible to them. She sent visions to each wolf-child for exactly one month from full moon to full moon to make sure that each wolf would remember their Intended and then set the humans she had handpicked into the path of the wolves. Recognizing their mates for what they were, each werewolf took human form again and wooed their Intended. And so, the race of werewolves became as they are today."

Silence fell over them for several minutes. Lavi was reluctant to break the peaceful quiet and he could see that Tyki wasn't planning on it. The older man's eyes were still looking at some far away point, not focused in the present moment or present location.

Lavi rolled on to his back, looking up at the stars. They twinkled overhead but provided no distraction for his mind.

"Are the Intended always human?" he asked after several minutes had passed. He heard Tyki's dry chuckle and glanced over at the man. Tyki had moved, now laying on his side and watching the redhead with his head propped up by his arm.

"No. Sometimes a werewolf's Intended is another werewolf, but there are so few of us it is more common for the Intended to be human," the older man replied. Lavi nodded, rolling over to lay on his side and mirror Tyki. Their eyes met, amber burning into green.

"Do you believe the story?" Lavi asked, somewhat curious. Tyki shut his eyes and shook his head, chuckling quietly.

"It's just a legend."

Lavi shrugged.

"Most legends have some grain of truth in them," he said, then frowned slightly, glancing away from Tyki so he wouldn't be distracted by the other man's face. "Wouldn't the Intended usually be, uh… female?"

He could feel the other man's stare and flushed, hurriedly continuing on.

"I mean, to have children you kind of need a man and a woman, so-"

Tyki's soft chuckle cut him off and he clamped his mouth shut.

"The Intended are not so much about having children as finding someone you can spend your years with. Males have had other males as their Intended and females have had other females. It's not common, true, but hardly unheard of."

"Oh," Lavi said. He didn't turn his gaze back to Tyki. "Do the Intended... um, well... did the goddess make the Intended more sympathetic to the werewolves or something?"

If the goddess had made the humans in the myth feel for the werewolves, maybe there was some sort of reason Lavi already felt like he could trust his life and heart with Tyki and not have to fear for the safety of either thing. A scientific one - maybe this 'Intended' business had something to do with smell? Tyki had mentioned scent as one of the three things a werewolf supposedly recognized his Intended by and if Tyki gave off some sort of pheromone-

Tyki was shaking his head.

"The goddess merely found humans that were naturally sympathetic and manipulated events so that the wolves could find them. Any emotions you feel, Lavi, are entirely your own," he said, smiling in amusement. Embarrassed at having been caught, Lavi looked away as he felt his face heat.

He heard movement to his side and glanced back at the werewolf, but too late to stop the man from pouncing. He let out a startled yelp as Tyki playfully tackled him and rolled with him several feet before pressing the redhead against the ground with their hips firmly pressed together. Lavi stared up at the older man, face slowly turning redder and redder. Tyki's forehead rested against his own, meaning their mouths were extremely close together.

"Have you fallen in love with me yet?" Tyki asked, tone teasing but with a faint undercurrent of hope and lust. Each word sent a soft puff of air across the human's lips and the scent of something unidentifiable but sweet. Lavi was so distracted by the man's proximity he almost missed the question.

"What?" he asked before his mind caught up. He shook his head in denial, pressing himself back against the earth and turning his head away from Tyki. "I've haven't known you four full days! There's no way-"

"Many of your human legends revolve around love at first sight, do they not?" Tyki asked him and Lavi could hear the smirk in the werewolf's voice. "Is it so impossible to believe?"

Lavi hesitated, then shook his head.

"I don't believe in love at first sight. It's not possible. Lust-" he began, turning his head to look up at the older man before being suddenly silenced. Tyki had placed one elegant finger across Lavi's lips, gently hushing him.

"You know enough to know that this isn't merely lust," Tyki said softly, leaning forward slowly and slipping his finger off the redhead's mouth. "Though I admit that lust is part of it."

The werewolf's finger was replaced by his lips, brushing softly over Lavi's mouth. The redhead froze in indecision for several heartbeats, but then his eye slid closed and he tentatively pressed his lips against Tyki's.

The older man made a soft, approving noise, breaking the kiss for a moment before dipping back down to press his lips to Lavi's once more. The redhead met him partway, lifting his head up off the ground.

Tyki's lips parted, his tongue coming out to trace pleadingly over Lavi's lips. Still somewhat hesitant, the redhead let his mouth open and the older man's tongue immediately moved in. The slick muscle touched Lavi's tongue, just like it had the first night, but unlike the first night Lavi did not pull away. He shifted beneath the older man's body, his own tongue moving tentatively against Tyki's.

It was as though that gentle brush lit a fire inside of Tyki. The werewolf moved one hand to the back of Lavi's neck, angling his head to kiss him more deeply as he moved more firmly into the redhead's mouth. Lavi's yelp of surprise was muffled by the other's mouth, but any resistance he may have felt quickly subsided and he gave himself over to the kiss. He moved both of his hands to the back of the werewolf's head, pulling the older man closer as they kissed.

It still wasn't close enough, somehow.

The kiss broke and both drew in a lungful of air before their lips met again, more passionately than before. Neither wasted any time, tongues meeting almost before their lips did. Lavi moaned into the kiss, gasping quietly when Tyki ground down against him. The redhead instinctively arched his body up to press more firmly against the older man, unconsciously parting his legs. Tyki slipped in between his thighs, their kiss slowly growing more and more heated. Their new position allowed Tyki to better press against him, desire collecting in both their bodies.

Lavi couldn't hold in his gasp at one particularly hard grind, breaking their kiss. He turned his head to the side to breathe, the air between them too stifling for his lungs to take in. Undeterred, Tyki pressed his wet lips to Lavi's cheekbone and slowly trailed his mouth down the redhead's neck. He nipped at the side of the column of flesh, sucking on the skin over the bite to leave a mark. Lavi tilted his neck to allow the other man more access, digging his knees into Tyki's sides to encourage him to grind their bodies more firmly together.

One of Tyki's hands trailed down to the hem of Lavi's shirt, playing with the edge of the material for a moment before sliding up under it to touch skin. Lavi felt those fingers, slightly chilled from the night air, caress his abdomen and froze, the touch bringing his mind back to reality.

He could feel the other's arousal pressed against his own, the other man's lips on his neck, and the other's hand slowly moving up his chest. Lavi's own hands were entangled with the wild strands of Tyki's hair, encouraging the man.

Tyki had noticed his partner's sudden lack of response and had lifted his face from Lavi's neck, locking eyes with the redhead. Lavi could see the concern in those amber eyes and looked away, untangling his hands as quickly as he could and moving them to push at the werewolf's shoulders. Tyki moved off of him without complaint, trying and failing to capture his gaze again.

Lavi scooted away from the older man as soon as he could, knowing his face was flushed and that his arousal was obvious. He drew his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms loosely around them.

"Red?"

Lavi didn't look at him, concentrating on breathing deeply and getting his body back under his control.

"Lavi? Is something the matter?"

He heard the older man shift and looked up, meeting Tyki's eyes. There was real concern there, worry too, making a heavy sense of guilt settle in the redhead's stomach.

"You say it isn't lust," he said quietly, fighting the urge to look away. Tyki nodded, opening his mouth to speak, but Lavi continued. "You say it's not lust, but then you do things like that and make me..."

He trailed off, shifting his gaze to the grassy hillside they sat on. He had enjoyed that, enjoyed it much more than he should have.

"Make you what?" Tyki asked, voice searching rather than accusatory or exasperated. "Aroused? Lustful?"

There was a pause.

"Disgusted?" The werewolf's voice was carefully neutral, but Lavi could hear an underlying hurt.

Lavi jerked his eye back to Tyki, seeing the man stare disinterestedly at the grass, plucking a few blades from the ground. The human uncrossed his arms and had crossed the foot or so of distance between them in less than a heartbeat, arms already reaching for the older man. Tyki, hearing the motion, looked up, eyes widening slightly. He caught Lavi, absorbing the slight impact without difficulty. His arms automatically went around the redhead's slighter form, staring down in surprise at the head of red hair pressed to his chest. The human shook his head violently, his arms wrapping loosely around the werewolf's body.

"Lavi, what-"

"No," Lavi said, voice quiet but firm. He tightened his grip. "You don't... I'm not disgusted, Tyki."

Tyki relaxed slightly, a tenseness leaving his form Lavi hadn't even been aware of until that moment. He continued, something in his chest easing with each word spoken.

"I couldn't be disgusted," he said. "I don't know what this is. I've only known you four days. I can't - I mean, it isn't possible-"

"Shh," Tyki murmured, his hands slipping to the sides of the redhead's face and gently pulling him back. Lavi let himself be pulled, staring up at Tyki's face with a pleading expression. The werewolf seemed to understand, leaning slowly forward and pressing his lips gently against the redhead's. There was only a spark of the desire in the kiss, enough to warm them but not enough to fan into a roaring blaze. This kiss was meant to comfort and sooth, nothing more.

They broke apart after a moment and their eyes met again.

"I don't believe in love at first sight," Lavi said again, sounding more like he was trying to reassure himself than state his beliefs. Tyki nodded, smiling thinly.

"It's all right. You don't have to believe in love at first sight, but let me ask you this." Tyki pulled him in to another embrace, tucking Lavi's head under his chin. The redhead shifted to get comfortable, ending up with his ear pressed to the werewolf's chest while his legs straddled the other's thighs and his arms wrapped loosely around the other's torso. One of Tyki's hands rested on his lower back and the other around his shoulders, keeping him pressed close.

Lavi made a quiet noise of agreement, listening to the steady beat of Tyki's heart.

"Do you believe in true love?"

There was silence as Lavi pondered the question. The older man waited patiently, simply holding the redhead.

A week ago, Lavi would have laughed outright at the question and dismissed the concept of 'true love' being something real only in fairytales. He had seen enough of hate in this world - the war he could barely remember, the bandits who had killed his parents while he had hid - to confidently disbelieve in 'true love'. Love that never faded, only grew stronger day by day? Love supposedly strong enough to transcend the boundaries of life and death?

Love that could come on strong very suddenly and mark a person forever?

"I guess I do," he replied. He buried his face in Tyki's chest, inhaling the man's scent. There was something intoxicating about it, though Lavi couldn't put his finger on what. Perhaps it was just the fact that the scent belonged to the werewolf?

Tyki chuckled quietly, arms tightening around Lavi.

"That's good news, Lavi. Very good news."

TBC…

**A/N: Sorry for the lateness and sorry about the delay on A Game of Poker, for all of you who read that fic of mine as well. I've been sick for the past two weeks and didn't feel much like writing.**

**The next chapter of Canis Luna should be released on schedule. I hope you're all enjoying the fic.**


	5. Good Intentions

**Warnings: YAOI, which means BOYS LOVING BOYS. If you dislike that, then the back button is easy enough to find. Please click that and leave. Possible OOC. Alternate Universe.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Wish they were, but Katsura Hoshino owns all.**

**Notes: Well, this fic started as a oneshot based off of Little Red Riding Hood. About two pages in, I figured out that this no longer had anything whatsoever to do with Little Red Riding Hood. _ I hope you all enjoy!**

**Dedicated to SisterWicked, Niamh (both of AssHat Productions, a group I'm a proud member of), and Cackles for reading this over before I posted and giving me tips and the confidence boost I needed so I could make this fic available to the general public. All remaining mistakes are mine.**

**Super special awesome thanks to Niamh for coming up with the title of this fic!**

**Last Time:**

**"I guess I do," he replied. He buried his face in Tyki's chest, inhaling the man's scent. There was something intoxicating about it, though Lavi couldn't put his finger on what. Perhaps it was just the fact that the scent belonged to the werewolf?**

**Tyki chuckled quietly, arms tightening around Lavi.**

**"That's good news, Lavi. Very good news."**

**And Now, The Continuation:**

Chapter 5

Good Intentions

The pair headed silently back to Lavi's house, their hands clasped together as they walked side by side. The silence was companionable, filled with a warmth Lavi refused to name and Tyki basked in. They had been gone a little over an hour. Most of that time had been spent on that grassy hillside, cuddled close and talking in hushed voices.

Tyki walked him to the door and released his hand. Lavi turned towards him with a hesitant smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked. Tyki smiled and nodded.

"Of course. Tomorrow night, then." Tyki turned to go, but Lavi reached out and caught his sleeve. The werewolf turned back, lifting an eyebrow. "Yes, Red?"

Lavi didn't respond verbally, too embarrassed to voice his request. He stepped forward, tilting his head back and asking with his eyes for a kiss. Tyki smirked and acquiesced, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to the human's lips. He pulled away after a moment and turned to leave, the satisfied smirk still in place.

Lavi watched him go, turning around to go inside only after the form of the gray wolf was no longer visible between the tree trunks. He opened the door quietly, halfway inside before he realized that something was different.

He stared at the table where a lit candle rested. He could have sworn he blew that out before he left...

"Where have you been?"

The redhead nearly jumped at the unexpected sound, whirling around to face the source of the noise. He stilled at the sight, eye widening.

"Gramps!"

Bookman stood in the shadows of the kitchen, standing so still he might have been a statue. He stared evenly at Lavi, then glanced down to the redhead's neck, eyes going wide. Lavi suddenly remembered Tyki's teeth nipping at his neck and the gentle sucking that had followed and put a hand over what had to be a visible mark.

"How long have you been awake?" Lavi asked weakly, bending over to remove his boots.

"How long have you been sneaking out at night while I was asleep?" Bookman asked shortly in return, stepping away from the shadows and into the flickering candlelight. Lavi tugged one boot off and deposited it next to the door, beginning to work on the other.

"Just these past three nights," he replied quietly. Bookman was silent while he worked his other boot off, dropping it next to its mate by the door.

"'Just these past three nights'," Bookman echoed. "With that man?"

Lavi looked up at his grandfather in surprise and a bit of alarm. He hadn't thought that Bookman had seen Tyki or what the old man had made of the werewolf if he had. Had Bookman noticed the unusual color of Tyki's skin and eyes? Had he seen Tyki transform?

Realizing that his grandfather was waiting for his answer, and seeing no way around the truth, Lavi nodded slowly.

"Yes."

Bookman narrowed his eyes.

"When did you meet him? He isn't from town." Bookman's voice was sure and steady, with good reason. Bookman knew the face of every person in town and could recognize them without fail no matter what time of day or night it was. Of course he wouldn't recognize Tyki, who had very likely never been in to town. Lavi hesitated, then answered.

"Four days ago."

Bookman's mouth twisted into a frown. He was displeased, that much was obvious. Lavi looked longingly in the direction of his bed, but he knew he wouldn't get the chance to escape to it.

His grandfather walked forward and sat down at the table, motioning for him to do the same. Reluctantly, Lavi did as told, stepping forward and slumping down into his chair.

"Tell me about this man," Bookman commanded. His tone didn't allow for any argument and Lavi knew there were few better than his grandfather at detecting lies.

"His name is Tyki," he started, then swallowed heavily. What was he supposed to say? Would Bookman believe him if he said that Tyki was the wolf who had chased him?

He fell silent, not sure how to continue. Bookman waited, then sighed.

"If you do not wish to speak, that is fine. I will not force you," Bookman said, standing. "I assume he is visiting tomorrow night as well?"

Lavi nodded, not looking at the old man.

"I will speak to him then."

The redhead looked up, opening his mouth to protest. Bookman narrowed his eyes and Lavi shut his mouth, looking back down at the tabletop. Bookman continued on his way, heading towards their shared room and shutting the door behind him.

Lavi stayed at the table for some time after that, staring blankly at the candle.

Line Break

The silence was awkward and heavy in the kitchen, causing any small talk Lavi wanted to make stick in his throat. Bookman sat in the far corner of the small cooking space in a chair he had dragged in from by the hearth. From his seat, he had a perfect view of the doorway. His eyes, however, were currently fixed to the book in his lap, squinting slightly to make out the words while his ears listened closely for the sound of approaching footsteps.

Lavi was seated in his usual chair, turned so he was half-facing the door and half-facing Bookman. Bookman's usual chair had been positioned so that it would be directly facing Bookman, just feet away from where Bookman now sat and twice that distance from Lavi's chair. It was obvious where Bookman meant for Tyki to sit when the man finally arrived.

The redhead glanced anxiously towards the door. Tyki should be arriving any moment now.

Lavi's heart sank at a sudden thought. What if Tyki had brought Road? It would be awkward enough with just Tyki and Bookman, but to have another person to witness whatever was going to take place...

Lavi buried his face in his hands, then leaned forward and smoothed his hair back before dropping his hands to his knees and letting them rest there. There was no use in worrying over it. What would happen would happen and there was very little Lavi could do to control it at this point.

A quiet knocking sound met his ears. He straightened, glancing towards the door. He could see Tyki's head silhouetted in the window and he glanced towards his grandfather. Bookman was putting a bookmark inside the novel he had been reading, eyes not focused on the book but rather on the door. He nodded slowly once, then turned and set the book on the counter behind his chair. Lavi stood, stepping towards the door as the knock sounded again.

He pulled open the door, seeing Tyki standing there as usual. The werewolf grinned upon seeing him, but the grin faded at Lavi's own weak attempt at a smile.

"Lavi? Is something the matter?" Tyki asked while Lavi scanned the surrounding darkness. Good. It seemed Road was absent.

Noticing Lavi's gaze, Tyki shrugged.

"I haven't seen Road yet tonight. Sheryl might be keeping her close. I'm sure we'll see her tomorrow, if that is what you were wondering." Tyki stepped forward, reaching for Lavi's hand, but the redhead stepped back and drew the hand Tyki had reached for to his chest, out of reach of the older man. He saw the other's brow furrow in confusion and stepped back deeper into the house. With the hand he wasn't currently holding over his heart, he indicated the kitchen.

"Come in?" he asked. Tyki frowned, shaking his head.

"I thought you didn't want to risk waking-" Tyki's voice fell suddenly silent, eyes moving beyond Lavi to the kitchen proper. The werewolf's eyes widened briefly, then narrowed. He nodded his understanding, stepping into the room. "I see."

Lavi turned, seeing Bookman standing in the center of the room. The old man's eyes were narrowed at Tyki, betraying no emotion to those who didn't know how to look. Lavi caught his grandfather's flicker of surprise at the unnatural shade of Tyki's skin and eyes as the werewolf stepped fully into the circle of light offered by the candle. Tyki stopped advancing the moment he was within the sphere of flickering candlelight, allowing the old man to clearly see him and staring, unfazed, back at Bookman.

Lavi quietly shut the door and returned to his chair, trying to make himself as unnoticeable as possible. He needn't have worried - neither Tyki nor Bookman so much as glanced towards him.

Bookman broke the stare-down first, turning away from Tyki with a quiet 'hmph' and heading back to his chair. He indicated the chair Tyki was to sit in with one hand.

"Sit."

Lavi watched the werewolf cross the floor and sit in the chair, seemingly not nervous in the least. He seemed positively relaxed, leaning against the hard wooden back of the chair and laying his arms casually on the armrests, crossing his legs and waiting. Bookman was equally relaxed, though there was a stony air about him. He was clearly assessing the werewolf, studying him like a bug underneath a magnifying glass. Tyki didn't flinch.

Lavi's gaze traveled from one to the other, waiting for one of them to speak.

"What are you?" Bookman asked bluntly.

"Your kind would call mine werewolves," Tyki replied evenly. He inclined his head. "I assume you have something you wish to discuss with me?"

Bookman was quiet for several seconds, then he looked towards Lavi.

"Go to your room. I would like to speak with this-" Bookman paused, looking back at Tyki. "-werewolf alone."

The redhead glanced towards Tyki. The older man nodded, smiling confidently, and Lavi felt somewhat reassured. He did want to stay, but it might be easier for them to talk about whatever it was without him in the room. Besides, it wasn't as if he couldn't eavesdrop if he pressed his ear to the door. Sound traveled fairly well through the small cottage, meaning he'd be able to hear everything from the room, even if he couldn't see.

He padded quietly away from the kitchen, entering the bedroom and shutting the door behind him. The moment the door shut fully, he got down to his knees and pressed his ear against the wood.

There was only silence for several seconds, then Bookman spoke.

"What are your intentions?"

"My intentions?" There was puzzlement in Tyki's voice and maybe just a hint of surprise at being asked the question.

"Towards Lavi." Bookman's voice was hard as stone. There was silence for several seconds.

"I don't think I get your meaning."

"You know perfectly well what I mean. He says he met you several days ago and he has snuck out the past three nights to be with you. When I caught him last night, he had a mark on his neck. I assume it's your work."

Lavi winced. He had tried to keep his neck covered today with a spare kerchief in hopes that his grandfather hadn't noticed the rather red, obvious mark on his neck. The redhead had looked into the washbasin that morning and had seen it reflected in the water, but he had hoped the old man hadn't noticed it in the dark.

Bookman did not sound pleased. Not one bit.

"If it is?"

"If it is then you will leave right now and should never return to darken my doorway again. You will not be welcome in this house as long as I live."

"I refuse. If Lavi wishes me to leave, then I will."

Lavi could almost picture Bookman's eyes narrowing at the statement. Several heartbeats passed without a sound from either man, then Tyki spoke again.

"Do you interrogate everyone who comes to call on your grandson?"

"Only those with less than honorable intentions."

"What says my intentions are less than honorable?" Tyki's voice sounded almost angry and Lavi waited with baited breath from his grandfather's response.

"A man who draws a young boy from his home without the knowledge of the young boy's guardian..." Bookman paused, clearly disapproving. "Especially so late at night. That alone would be enough to make me doubt your intentions, but the mark on Lavi's neck is proof enough that your intentions aren't honorable. An honorable man would never take advantage-"

Bookman's voice rose in volume and vehemence as he spoke, words coming quicker and harsher. Lavi had never heard his grandfather raise his voice and was so shocked he nearly missed it when Tyki interrupted, the werewolf's voice just as heated as Bookman's.

"Shall we ask Lavi if he feels that he is being taken advantage of?" he hissed. Lavi could hear the man draw in a deep breath and let it out slowly, then he continued in a more collected tone. "Lavi is old enough to make his own choices, I'm sure you'll find. He sees nothing wrong with my intentions or my actions. Ask him yourself."

Silence. Lavi held his breath, waiting for someone to speak.

"Lavi." Bookman's voice was louder, clearly intended to reach the redhead's ears. Lavi quickly got to his feet and pushed open the bedroom door, walking across the cottage floor towards the kitchen. He could see Bookman and Tyki standing up, neither in their chair any longer though both had remained on their side of the room. After a moment's hesitation, he walked over to Tyki and stood by the werewolf's side in silent support. He didn't look at Bookman, knowing he wouldn't like the expression on the old man's face.

Silence rose in the small room, then Tyki spoke.

"I think this speaks for itself," he said softly, not gloating or holding it over Bookman's head. Lavi still couldn't look his grandfather in the eye. There was another drawn-out pause.

"Perhaps you are right," Bookman finally conceded, for once sounding as old as his years. Lavi looked up, an apology on his lips, but Bookman continued. "But no matter how old he becomes, he will still be my grandson. I do not want to see him abandoned two or three years from now."

"He won't abandon me, Gramps," Lavi said. He believed it too, much to his surprise. He reached for the werewolf's hand and was given it. Tyki squeezed his hand reassuringly, letting him know that his belief wasn't in error.

Bookman's eyes flicked to their joined hands, then to Lavi's face.

"Lavi," he began. "Though you may like to believe what he says, you should not-"

"I won't abandon him," Tyki interrupted firmly. "He is my Intended. I may as well lose half of myself."

Bookman's eyes narrowed suspiciously, moving from Lavi to the werewolf.

"Intended? His parents made no arrangements for his marriage before they died and I certainly have not."

Tyki was shaking his head by the time Bookman had gotten to the word 'arrangements'.

"A werewolf's Intended is not arranged for. It simply is and Lavi is mine." Tyki drew himself up to his full height, still holding firmly on to Lavi's hand. "My intentions towards your grandson are perfectly honorable. If it will please you, then I will marry him in the human sense before we consummate our relationship, though there is no need to worry about bastard children from our joining."

Lavi could feel himself turning red and he bit his tongue to keep from shouting the werewolf's name in horror. There were some things his grandfather just did not need to know under any circumstances!

Bookman seemed to consider Tyki's words for a moment, then nodded as though satisfied. Lavi wished the floor would open and swallow him up, but it did not grant his wish. Bookman turned back to his chair and grabbed his book from the counter and sat down. He opened the book to the marked page, removing the bookmark and placing it between pages he had already read.

"I expect him back within the hour." With that, Bookman fell silent and began to read. Lavi just stared at the old man, stunned at having gotten his permission.

"Shall we, Red?" Tyki asked, steering the redhead gently towards the door. Lavi's gaze remained on his grandfather for several seconds, even as his feet and body turned towards the door leading out. Tyki grabbed his cloak for him as they headed out the door and it was only in the doorway that Lavi found his voice again.

"Thank you!" he called, trying to put every ounce of gratitude he felt into his voice. Bookman looked up from his reading and nodded in acknowledgement.

The old man was still watching as the door shut behind the pair, only looking back at his book when he could no longer hear their feet on the ground.

TBC

**A/N: Sorry that it took me so long to update. I kind of almost forgot about this fic. _ I should be able to update again in two weeks. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter.**

**Random Note: I made a Lucky music video! My music vids are not as good as my fics, but I thought I'd announce it here anyway. The video is posted on YouTube and I use the same name for everything -- you'll find me under 'bookkbaby' there too.**


	6. Road

Warnings: YAOI, which means BOYS LOVING BOYS. If you dislike that, then the back button is easy enough to find. Please click that and leave. Possible OOC. Alternate Universe.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Wish they were, but Katsura Hoshino owns all.

Notes: Well, this fic started as a oneshot based off of Little Red Riding Hood. About two pages in, I figured out that this no longer had anything whatsoever to do with Little Red Riding Hood. _ I hope you all enjoy!

Dedicated to SisterWicked, Niamh (both of AssHat Productions, a group I'm a proud member of), and Cackles for reading this over before I posted and giving me tips and the confidence boost I needed so I could make this fic available to the general public. All remaining mistakes are mine.

Super special awesome thanks to Niamh for coming up with the title of this fic!

Special dedication to Hakoro for reminding me to update.

Sorry for not updating sooner and sorry that I didn't do review replies this chapter. I finally had free time today and I could either do review replies or post, so I decided to post. _

Last Time:

"Thank you!" he called, trying to put every ounce of gratitude he felt into his voice. Bookman looked up from his reading and nodded in acknowledgement.

The old man was still watching as the door shut behind the pair, only looking back at his book when he could no longer hear their feet on the ground.

And Now, The Continuation:

Road

Lavi pulled his cloak tighter around himself. The weather had turned chilly again and he was grateful for the extra warmth. The night was quiet except for a few brave crickets and the sound of his and Tyki's footsteps on the hard ground.

When they reach the road and turned up it, heading away from town as always, Tyki spoke.

"Your grandfather didn't seem surprised when I told him what I was," the werewolf said, glancing towards the redhead curiously, as if a thought had just occurred to him. "Nor were you, if I'm remembering correctly. Have you encountered my kind before?"

Lavi laughed quietly, shaking his head.

"No. It has just always been his way to never let anything surprise him. His motto had always been 'believe or disbelieve only in what you have seen with your own eyes; observe the world and form your own thoughts, whatever they may be'." Lavi shrugged, smiling and looking up at the sky. "There were always so many stories about werewolves it was harder to disregard them all as fiction, though I had never met one until I met you. Maybe Gramps has, I don't know."

Tyki nodded seriously, a thoughtful gleam in his eyes, and they lapsed into silence. They continued walking for several minutes without a word passing between them.

"It can take months to arrange a wedding," Lavi commented into the quiet. Tyki 'mmm'd.

"I know that, Lavi. Have you already forgotten Sheryl? He didn't manage to get his wedding arranged to his mother-in-law's satisfaction for three months. If I must wait that long, or even twice that, to appease your grandfather, then that is what I will do."

They fell into an easy silence as they walked, each turning over the events of the night in their mind. They crested the first hill, hand in hand, and continued on the downward slope.

"Do you not wish to wait that long to consummate this?" Tyki asked frankly, as though the question regularly came up in casual conversation. Lavi spluttered, looking towards the werewolf as his blush came back in full force.

"Wha- why-" he said, fading into silence when he realized he didn't have a clue how to respond. Tyki shrugged, a hint of a smirk playing at his lips.

"I had assumed it would take that long for you to be comfortable with the idea of me touching you. I will wait for you to want it and be comfortable enough with me to allow me to come to your bed. If it takes three-months wait, a wedding, and your grandfather's approval for that to happen..." His voice trailed off as though it was only common sense for him to do those things.

"That's..." Lavi started, trying to think up a way to protest. While it was wonderful that Bookman approved, Lavi still wasn't too sure about marrying a man he had only met that week. Tyki made it sound like it was obvious that Lavi would simply agree to marry him and then consummate their relationship, like it was only natural for what they had together to progress that way from where they were. Without taking into account Lavi's right to choose, maybe it was.

The redhead shut his mouth and looked away.

Even with taking his right to choose into account, maybe it was only natural. He refused to name the feeling that welled up inside of him when he thought about the werewolf and especially when the older man was by his side, but perhaps in the few months it would take to arrange the wedding he would be able to call it what it was.

A light breeze picked up, stirring the grass and making the leaves rustle. Lavi shivered, drawing his cloak tighter around himself once more, and only noticed that Tyki had frozen when their joined hands prevented him from taking another two steps. He nearly tripped at the sudden, unexpected yank backwards, but kept his balance and turned, staring at the werewolf with concern.

"Tyki?" he asked, following the man's gaze. All he could see were trees, though each plant was suddenly made dark and foreboding by Tyki's wide-eyed stare. The werewolf abruptly let go of his hand, striding towards the forest. Before Lavi could ask what was wrong, Tyki spoke.

"Stay here, Lavi. I will return shortly."

Lavi watched the man transform and run off, darting through the trees like a silver shadow. Within seconds, he had disappeared completely into the woods.

Lavi stared after him for several minutes in shock, then shivered when the night breeze played with the openings in his cloak. He shivered and pulled the red material tighter around himself, glancing around uneasily. The night was safe enough when he was with Tyki, but without the older man by his side he had a sudden urge to head home. He could almost feel the darkness creeping up on him, made all the more frightening by the looming presence of the trees and Tyki's warning back when he had first met the man.

'"My family members would likely kill you for sport. The forest is their playground."'

He took a half-step back from the trees, nearly jumping when he heard the leaves rustling before realizing it was only the wind. He shook his head, annoyed with himself. He wasn't a kid anymore. There was nothing to fear in the dark-

A twig snapped somewhere in front of him. Lavi jerked his gaze towards the sound, scanning the trees for whatever had made that sound.

He couldn't see anything. He swallowed heavily, shifting in place and turning his gaze towards the break in the trees Tyki had disappeared through. He willed the man to reappear, pulling his cloak more tightly about himself. He still felt chilled, though he doubted the breeze was to blame.

Maybe five minutes passed before he heard another sound - a snapping twig, coming from right in front of him. He held his breath, attention totally focused on the trees before him. Another twig snapped. Another. The sound slowly traveled closer and closer, but Lavi's one good eye couldn't make out what was causing the noise. With this dark, he doubted having two good eyes would have helped.

He watched, breathing shallowly and unconsciously backing up. Perhaps it was Tyki, but perhaps it wasn't, and if it wasn't, then Lavi wanted to put as much distance as he could between himself and whatever was making that noise before it cleared the trees. He watched the woods closely, loosening his muscles in case he had to run at a moment's notice.

He could dimly make out a figure walking towards him. He could tell it was human, but it seemed to be carrying something in its arms. He didn't relax until the figure got closer and he saw a familiar flash of gray skin and amber eyes, recognizing Tyki as the werewolf stepped out from between the trees. The redhead's moment of relief was quickly replaced by shock when Tyki got closer and the moon breaking out from behind the trees revealed just what it was the werewolf was carrying and the furious, worried expression he wore.

"Road!" Lavi said, rushing over to Tyki and his precious burden. The girl was in her wolf form, but the color of her fur was unmistakable even though it was covered in what looked to be drying blood. She appeared to be unconscious, her barely-moving chest the only indication that she was still alive.

"What happened?" he asked, looking at Tyki's face. The man's lips were drawn into a tight, angry line and he turned back towards town and Lavi's home.

"I don't know, but I smell the Earl's blood and Lulubell's... and Sheryl's." He began walking briskly back down the road, holding his niece carefully so he wouldn't jostle her. Lavi followed seconds later, stunned by the girl's injuries. Even he could smell the blood and he knew his nose was not half as sensitive's as Tyki's must be.

"Does your grandfather know anything about healing animals?"

Lavi looked up from Road's limp form, mind not registering the question for several seconds. He nodded quickly.

"I've seen books about it. Gramps knows a lot, so I'm sure he can do something..."

Tyki nodded, speeding up just a little so that Lavi had to scramble to keep up. The silence that fell over them was tense and crackling, not at all like the usual companionable silences that fell between them. Lavi's only comfort was knowing that Tyki's anger wasn't directed at him, but rather at the person who had done this to Road.

The Earl. Lavi had never met that particular werewolf, but he hated him already.

He ran several steps ahead of Tyki as they approached his house, bursting through the door with such force it hit the wall and almost hit him in the face before he stopped it with his arm. He shoved the door to the side, this time making sure he didn't hit it with enough force for it to come back and strike Tyki, who was coming up behind him.

Lavi heard a startled noise and looked towards the corner of the kitchen he had left Bookman in. The old man was still sitting in his chair, though his gaze was now fixed on Lavi, puzzlement barely visible in his eyes. Considering Bookman usual reaction to surprises, Lavi supposed it was his grandfather's equivalent of jumping to his feet and shouting.

"Lavi, what-"

The redhead ignored the question in favor of moving out of Tyki's way. He could tell the moment his grandfather saw the pair of werewolves because the old man cut himself off and stood immediately. Bookman hurried over to the table and began lifting books and papers off of it, quickly clearing a space in the middle. Lavi stepped over to the table and helped, doing as Bookman was up and moving the stacks of books and piles of papers to the floor before shoving them to the nearby walls and leaving the floor space mostly clear. He heard the door shut and glanced back, seeing that Tyki had apparently kicked it shut and was watching Road anxiously.

Lavi turned his attention back to the papers he was carrying, dropping them rather than setting them on the floor next to the books. He could recopy them later if they got damaged.

"What happened?" Bookman asked as he cleared the last of the items from the table. It was a sturdy wooden thing and was large enough to hold half of Bookman's book collection, so it should support Road just fine. Bookman motioned to the tabletop. "Lay him down."

"Her," Tyki corrected, stepping forward. He bent over the table, laying Road carefully down on the smooth surface. He made sure the girl was fully supported before he withdrew his arms, slipping his hand under her head to guide it down so her skull wouldn't knock against the table. "She is my niece."

Bookman nodded, absently filing away the fact, and moved forward to examine her. He raised a hand and checked her vital signs, putting a hand over her chest to see if her heart still beat before putting his other hand in front of her muzzle to see if she still breathed. After a moment, he removed his hands and began examining her injuries, looking at the various splotches of blood in her coat. Lavi swallowed anxiously. In the dark he hadn't really been able to see how much blood was in her fur and now, in the candlelit room, it was much easier to see how much of her blue-gray coat was covered in red, though the thick fur hid the extent of her wounds. It was impossible to tell how much of the blood was hers.

"Lavi, go get me a large bowl filled with water and clean rags," Bookman ordered briskly, snapping Lavi out of his partial daze. The redhead looked up and nodded, moving to do as bid. As he headed to the wooden chest they kept bowls like the one Bookman had requested, he heard his grandfather address Tyki. "If she is your niece, then does that mean she's a werewolf as well?"

Tyki must have nodded, or perhaps the creaking of the wood as Lavi lifted the top of the chest drowned him out, because the next sound Lavi heard was again his grandfather's voice. The redhead was quiet as he quickly located a large, somewhat roughly-carved stone bowl and pulled it out of the chest.

"Is she able to transform? I know less about tending to animals than I do to humans," Bookman said.

Lavi turned and set the bowl down on the counter, briefly debating whether to go get more water from the small well in the backyard or if the water in the pitcher for the washbasin would suffice. He had filled it that morning and he wasn't sure if the ten minutes it would take to draw up water would make a difference.

He glanced back at Road. She seemed so still...

Decision made, he turned towards the main area of the small cottage, heading for the pitcher he knew would be filled with water. The pitcher and basin were as he had left them that morning - sitting on the small table in front of the window facing the small plot of land behind the house. There was a decently-sized rag alongside the stone-crafted items, usually used for drying hands and faces once washed. He grabbed the cloth and laid it over his shoulder before grabbing the pitcher with one hand, lifting it quickly and putting his other hand beneath the flat bottom to support the weight.

He turned back to the kitchen, carrying the pitcher and the rag. As he walked into the cooking space, he glanced towards the table. Tyki sat in a chair next to the wood surface, up by Road's head, and he was talking to her so quietly all Lavi could hear was a dull murmur. His heart ached at the worry he could see in the man's eyes and the tense set of his shoulders and he shivered at the low embers of anger he could see stirring to life behind the worry.

He tore his eyes away and kept moving towards the bowl he had selected earlier, dumping the water from the pitcher into it. It made a soft splashing noise, drawing Bookman's attention.

"Bring that bowl over here and then go get me whatever bandages we have," the old man said. Lavi nodded, upending the pitcher to pour out the last of the water. He set the pitcher down, hearing the hollow clang it made as it hit the counter a split second before Bookman's stunned sharp intake of breath. He turned instinctively towards the sound and had to fight the urge to gasp as well.

Tyki had managed to convince Road to change forms, though how Lavi didn't know since the girl was still clearly unconscious. While seeing the transformation from wolf to human would probably be surprising enough - after all, it still surprised him a bit on some level every time he witnessed it, though he was slowly becoming more used to watching them change forms - Lavi knew that that was not what had surprised his grandfather.

Somehow, the blood and the unnatural stillness seemed all the worse when it was a human on the table instead of an animal.

Road's shirt was more red than white, ripped to shreds in several places and Lavi could see claw marks on the skin beneath some of the tears. Her pants were holding together by threads where claws had glanced along her thigh. Her legs were spotted with red and there was more than one bite mark still oozing blood on both of her legs. There seemed to be two different sizes of bites - one wide and long while the other was thinner and shorter. Road's shoes were halfway off her feet, crusted in blood and mud.

The redhead glanced towards her arms and hands. Like her feet, her hands were covered in mud and blood and her fingertips were scraped and bloody. One of her arms had a large bite mark, blood seeping from the small punctures. And those were only Road's visible injuries - Lavi had little doubt more were hidden beneath the splashes of blood and scraps of clothing on her.

Of the two humans, Bookman was the first to recover. He turned to Lavi and, seeing that the boy had frozen, barked; "Hurry up!"

The redhead jerked himself out of his stunned state and turned back to the counter for the bowl, picking it up with both hands and carrying the heavy thing towards where his grandfather stood at the side of the table. Bookman gently moved aside some of Road's blood-crusted hair as Lavi approached and directed the redhead to set the bowl next to the girl's head. Some water sloshed over the sides of the bowl as Lavi did so, dampening a bit of Road's hair. Lavi reached for the rag on his shoulder and handed it wordlessly to Bookman, who took it and plunged it into the water to soak.

Lavi glanced towards Tyki, seeing that the werewolf had moved back from the table and was watching them and his niece with a tense kind of worry in his eyes. The redhead bit his lip and then looked down, moving around his grandfather to the main living space of the house once more. Behind him, he could hear the soft splash of the rag leaving the water as Bookman lifted it to begin washing off some of the blood and clean some of Road's wounds.

He headed for the hearth, next to which they kept an old chest filled with medicines, salves, and poultices as well as bandages and wine for cleaning wounds. Lavi knelt in front of the chest and pushed it open, ignoring the creak of the wood and the hinges as he leaned the heavy top against the wall behind it. He began digging through the many jars inside it, pushing aside his grandfather's acupuncture needles to get at the bandages at the bottom of the chest. Not sure how many they would need, he began grabbing all of them and piling them on his other arm, keeping said arm bent close to his body so it formed a kind of basket for him to carry the rolls of cloth. When he couldn't see nor feel any more bandages, he grabbed the bottle of wine with his free hand and stood, leaving the chest open in case his grandfather called for something else from it. Lavi turned back to the kitchen, carefully balancing the bandage rolls in one arm as he walked back.

He found his grandfather rinsing the rag in the water bowl, turning the water a thin pink, then move back to washing off Road's arm. Her shirt was so torn that the majority of her arm was exposed, but to get at her chest and bandage whatever injuries were there, they would need to remove the garment. The same thought had evidently occurred to Bookman, for the next words out of his mouth were:

"Lavi, get me my scissors. Then get me some more water from the well."

Lavi nodded, setting the wine down next to the was bowl and putting the bandages on the chair Tyki had sat in only an hour ago before turning to go back to the main area of the cottage. Tyki's voice interrupted.

"What can I do to help?"

There was silence. Lavi didn't move, looking to Bookman to see what his grandfather would say. The old man regarded the werewolf seriously, moving the bloody cloth he held to the washbasin and rinsing it. He turned his gaze away only when he had to wring it, more pink water falling into the bowl.

"Lavi, go draw water," Bookman finally said, turning back to Road and beginning to wipe off her face. "My scissors are in the chest by the fireplace. Get them for me."

The last was obviously addressed to Tyki. The werewolf stood immediately, passing Lavi on his way to get the required item. The redhead caught him by the shoulder for an instant, drawing Tyki's attention long enough for their eyes to meet. The redhead gave the older man's shoulder a supportive squeeze. Tyki smiled thinly in reply, lifting one hand to cover Lavi's and squeezing back before slipping both hands off his shoulder and continuing on his way. Lavi watched him for a second, then turned away to head out the door.

He turned the knob and headed out, pulling the door behind him so it shut partway but didn't close completely, then turned to head around to the back of the dwelling. The night seemed ominously silent as he walked across the grass. He couldn't even hear crickets, except off in the distance, and the night air seemed to somehow muffle them. He quickened his steps to the well, falling to his knees next to the stone structure, grabbing the wooden bucket nestled in the long grass next to the wall and feeling for the length of rope that was always coiled next to said bucket. He quickly located it and picked up part of one coil, running it through his hands to try and locate an end. Within moments, the only sounds his breathing and the slide of rope through his hands, he found one.

He picked the bucket and braced it in between his knees before lifting the handle and pulling the end underneath the thin metal. He quickly tied a sturdy knot, fingers shaking only slightly, which he then tested by yanking hard on the rope. The knot held, and he got to his feet and stepped towards the well. He leaned over the stone wall and threaded both the bucket and attached rope through the small space between the roof of the well and the beam hanging directly over the center. He leaned back once the task was completed and began to lower the bucket, letting the rope slip through his fingers slowly. He could hear a distant splash and the rope slackened for an instant. He tightened his grip on the rope and felt the pull as the bucket filled with water. He let a bit more rope slide through his grip, then held the rope in place until he could no longer feel the tug at the end strengthening. He pulled the rope back up, going slowly so that the water wouldn't all spill out as he did so.

Within minutes, he was again leaning over the top of the well and reaching for the bucket. He pulled it to him by the damp rope and set the bucket on the wall of the well, making sure it wouldn't fall back in before beginning to untie the rope. It was slow work since he had needed to tie the knot tight and now it was wet and had tightened further as he had pulled it up, but within a minute he had gotten the rope undone and moved the bucket to the ground so he wouldn't knock it over accidentally and lose it to the well. He quickly coiled the rope and set it down by the well before picking up the bucket and walking back to the house. The silence going back was just as unnerving as the silence that had met him when he had exited the cottage minutes ago, but there was the promise of company and light inside the house. He quickened his steps, doing his best not to stir up the water inside the bucket too much but feeling some of it splash out on to his pant leg anyway.

He shoved open the door as quietly as he could, lumbering into the light. It was noticeably brighter in the room and Lavi chalked it up to coming in from the darkness outside before he saw the other candles placed around the room to brighten the whole area. Almost no wax had run over the top, meaning that someone had just lit them.

Lavi glanced towards the table. Tyki's broad back was blocking most of his view, but he could see Road's legs at the end of the table and a small pile of bloody white cloth next to her feet. The material was probably her shirt and Lavi confirmed the thought as he quietly shut the door and moved around Tyki to his grandfather's side of the table. He set the bucket down on the floor next to Bookman's feet before looking towards Road.

Her body was propped up by Tyki, the older werewolf's hands supporting her carefully as Bookman wrapped a bandage tightly around her abdomen. She was mostly bare from the waist up but for the cloth binding her chest. There were small tears in the cloth and splotches of dried blood, meaning that the bindings were likely something she had been wearing when she had been injured and not bandages Bookman had just tied. Most of her skin had been cleaned of blood and the only injury had apparently been the one Bookman was now wrapping. The old man had probably let the bindings on her chest to preserve her modesty, since any scratches or bites that would need tending to would have left holes in the cloth. The bite on her arm had been bandaged, as well as each of her fingers on both hands.

There were a few bruises on her neck Lavi hadn't noticed before and a few dotting her arms, all slowly deepening to dark purple. The redhead swallowed, staring at her face. Road's face was slack, apparently unaware of any pain or of her uncle holding her.

"How is she?" he asked, voice almost inappropriately loud in the quiet. Tyki looked up at the sound of his voice but Bookman did not. The old man straightened and tied off the bandage be had been wrapping, apparently satisfied.

"She'll be fine. There are no breaks in her bones and no lumps on her head. She was lucky," Bookman said, turning to grab the scissors lying on the table next to the already-discarded cloth. He lifted them and moved them to the bottom of one of Road's pant-legs. He began cutting into the cloth, following a straight line up her leg. "Go get a spare pillow and some blankets. Once you've done that, find some of your old clothes and bring them here. They'll be a bit worn, but it's the best we can do."

Lavi nodded and left, heading for the room he shared with Bookman. A little-used chest in the corner of that room would have what Bookman was looking for. There had to be at least one set of clothes that would fit Road nestled in there somewhere.

He returned to the kitchen within minutes, his arms full of cloth in various forms. He moved behind Tyki and set the items down in the chair the werewolf had been in earlier. He looked towards the table, picking up a bundle of cloth to place beneath Road's head.

They had laid her back down on to the table and both Tyki and Bookman were now standing by her legs. In the time Lavi had been gone, Bookman had managed to cut off the girl's pants and was now busily washing off the blood from one of her legs. Tyki was washing the other leg with what looked to be half of the rag Lavi had brought Bookman earlier.

Lavi gently slid a hand underneath Road's head and lifted it, slipping the bundle of rags that acted as a pillow underneath her damp hair. He glanced back towards the two men at the end of the table, seeing that they were almost done. As Bookman dropped his rag in the bloody water of the washbasin, Lavi spoke.

"Is there anything else I can do?" he asked. Bookman shook his head.

"Go to bed, Lavi. It's late," he said, picking up the wine bottle and pouring some on to the bite marks on the leg closer to him. Tyki wordlessly held out his hand for the bottle when Bookman was done and the old man passed it to him. The werewolf poured more on to the few bites remaining and then set the bottle down.

"She can sleep on my bed," Lavi offered, as much out of concern for her comfort as for the knowledge that he wouldn't be able to sleep any time soon. Nervous energy was running in his veins alongside his blood, leaving him feeling more wide awake than ever.

Bookman didn't even dignify his offer with a glance.

"She will take my pallet. I will sleep out here, as will he." The old man nodded towards Tyki with a quick jerk of his head, reaching for a roll of bandages. He handed the roll to Tyki and then grabbed another for himself, moving back to wrap Road's leg. "The chairs are comfortable enough."

"Road can sleep on my bed," Lavi said. "I'm fine out here-"

Bookman actually did look up at that, narrowing his eyes at his grandson's protest.

"I believe he doesn't trust me, Red," Tyki said, beginning to wrap his niece's leg. The words were said without anger, just a simple statement of fact. "If he wishes to watch me to make sure I don't sneak into your bed, then that is fine."

"Tyki..." Lavi said, feeling a sudden surge of sadness he wasn't sure what to do with. He glanced towards his grandfather, but Bookman had started wrapping Road's leg and refused to look up. Lavi sighed quietly, stepping towards Tyki.

The werewolf didn't look up for several seconds, instead finishing up bandaging the part of Road's leg he had been covering. Once he had cut off the length of cloth and tied it, he turned a somewhat curious expression towards Lavi.

Hesitating only momentarily, Lavi moved to stand on tiptoe and pressed a short, chaste kiss to Tyki's lips.

"Goodnight," he said, seeing the surprise on the older man's face. He waited.

After a moment, Tyki smiled and nodded, leaning in to press his lips softly against the redhead's in a kiss just as short and chaste as the one Lavi had given him.

"Goodnight, Lavi," he said gently. "Sleep well."

Lavi nodded, smiling weakly back. His smile faded as he turned to face his grandfather. The old man was watching them disapprovingly, but turned back to his work and tied off the bandage when he noticed Lavi looking.

"Goodnight, Gramps," the redhead said, turning towards the bedroom. He heard the old man make a noise behind him, acknowledging that Lavi had spoken but not really replying.

With a soft sigh, Lavi walked to the room and shut the door quietly behind himself.

TBC…

A/N: Sorry about the late update. Life has been very, very hectic for me lately and I haven't been able to write. I'm concentrating more on AGoP so I can get that done, but this is also high on the priority list. Sorry again about the wait.


	7. Daybreak

**Warnings: YAOI, which means BOYS LOVING BOYS. If you dislike that, then the back button is easy enough to find. Please click that and leave. Possible OOC. Alternate Universe.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Wish they were, but Katsura Hoshino owns all.**

**Notes: Well, this fic started as a oneshot based off of Little Red Riding Hood. About two pages in, I figured out that this no longer had anything whatsoever to do with Little Red Riding Hood. _ I hope you all enjoy!**

**Dedicated to SisterWicked, Niamh (both of AssHat Productions, a group I'm a proud member of), and Cackles for reading this over before I posted and giving me tips and the confidence boost I needed so I could make this fic available to the general public. All remaining mistakes are mine.**

**Super special awesome thanks to Niamh for coming up with the title of this fic!**

**Last Time:**

**Lavi nodded, smiling weakly back. His smile faded as he turned to face his grandfather. The old man was watching them disapprovingly, but turned back to his work and tied off the bandage when he noticed Lavi looking.**

**"Goodnight, Gramps," the redhead said, turning towards the bedroom. He heard the old man make a noise behind him, acknowledging that Lavi had spoken but not really replying.**

**With a soft sigh, Lavi walked to the room and shut the door quietly behind himself.**

**And Now, The Continuation.**

Chapter 7

Daybreak

The redhead woke to sunlight streaming in through the window. He blinked once, his good eye bleary, then sat up and rubbed at his eye with the back of his hand. He glanced over towards the other side of the room, seeing Road laying there, dressed in some of Lavi's old clothes and mostly covered by a blanket from shoulders to feet.

He sighed softly. She had moved a bit, disturbing the blanket laid on top of her. He smiled with relief. She must have woken up sometime during the night and then fallen asleep before waking anyone else - the fact that she was moving at all was a good sign.

Lavi reached over and picked up his eyepatch, tying it in place before he stood up and walked off his pallet. He walked right by Road and out the door, leaving it open in case she woke, and headed for the kitchen. He doubted either Tyki or Bookman had bothered to move the chairs before sitting down and going to sleep. As he neared the cooking area of the cottage, he saw that he was half-right. Bookman sat slumped over in his chair, a blanket pooled on the floor at his feet. It had probably fallen off while he slept.

Tyki was nowhere to be seen.

His chest tightened and he tried to wave off his sudden sense of abandonment and loss, walking quietly across the floor to pick up his grandfather's blanket and cover the old man with it. Bookman was shivering slightly, though his shivers abated somewhat when he was once again covered. Lavi smiled thinly as Bookman relaxed, then nearly jumped as a soft scraping sound reached his ears.

He turned, looking around suspiciously for the source of the sound. He was almost beginning to think he hadn't heard it when it came again, apparently from the direction of the main room.

Lavi walked cautiously towards the sound, stepping quietly in case it was some sort of intruder. As he approached the hearth, he saw a flash of gray and relaxed, moving more quickly towards the fireplace.

Tyki, in wolf form, was sleeping on the floor. A thin blanket was wrapped around him, protecting him from the chill in the air and in the floor. His fur had probably kept him warm, Lavi thought absently as he knelt next to the sleeping wolf, reaching out to run his fingers through the older man's thick gray coat. It was warm, he noted, and very soft to the touch. He moved closer, tentatively laying his whole hand on the wolf's fur.

An amber eye snapped open, Tyki's head jerking sideways so that the wolf could see him clearly. Lavi froze, hand still extended as the werewolf stared at him. Tyki blinked once, slowly, then relaxed, rolling to his paws and shaking off the blanket. Lavi lowered his hand, watching as Tyki stretched and yawned. Apparently satisfied, Tyki turned towards the redhead and stepped forward. Lavi slid back on to his ass, leaning back a bit as Tyki drew closer. When they were just inches apart, Tyki changed forms.

It was a pair of soft, human lips that pressed against Lavi's own and it was a warm human hand that cupped his cheek gently. Lavi let his eye slide shut and leaned into the kiss. Though their mouths remained closed, the kiss lasted just a touch too long for it to be considered entirely innocent.

Tyki at last pulled back from the kiss, though he stayed close and did not drop his hand from Lavi's face.

"Good morning," the werewolf murmured, standing. He offered his hand to the sitting redhead, who took it though he didn't really need the help. Tyki didn't let his hand go even after he was on his feet, though Lavi had to admit he didn't mind the other man holding his hand.

"Good morning," he replied, voice as quiet as the other's had been. He stared at Tyki's face, taking in the older man's features in the sunlight for the first time. The light of early morning filtered in through the window, making the gray of Tyki's skin seem lighter and highlighting the amber of his eyes. Lavi found himself mesmerized by those eyes yet again, breath catching in his throat as he stared into them. Even the shine of Tyki's hair seemed more beautiful in the daylight; everything about Tyki seemed more gorgeous, though Lavi wasn't sure if that was just because of the color of the light or because he could see Tyki's face more clearly than before.

He frowned, a thought suddenly occurring to him.

"Is something the matter?" Tyki asked, only mildly concerned. Then his voice took on a distinctly worried twist. "Is Road-?"

"No, no!" Lavi hastened to assure him, shaking his head. "She's fine. She woke up during the night, I think, so she should be up sometime today."

Tyki smiled at him, clearly relieved.

"That's wonderful," he said. His smile faded into an expression of puzzlement. "Why the frown then, Red?"

Lavi shrugged his shoulders, going over the week in his mind. Except for his first meeting with Tyki, before he had known that Tyki was Tyki and thought he was just a rather large wolf, every one of their meetings had been at night.

"Tyki," he said slowly, tilting his head slightly in confusion. "I don't think I've seen you in the sunlight before today, have I? Why is that?"

He saw Tyki's eyes go guarded for a split second before the expression was hidden and the older man smiled easily, stepping closer to Lavi and pulling the redhead into an embrace. The redhead didn't fight it, wrapping his own arms around Tyki's shoulders.

"The night belongs to lovers, or so they say," Tyki said in his ear, voice pitched just a bit lower than his normal speaking voice. Lavi shivered, his arms tightening around the older man as he lifted himself a bit to speak directly in the werewolf's ear.

"Can't you tell me the real reason?" he asked quietly. He felt Tyki tense and simply held on, continuing. "It's all right if you don't want to say, but..."

But he wanted to know. It bothered him that he didn't, though he didn't know why that was. He wanted to know everything about the man he was holding.

Tyki sighed softly and relaxed, pulling Lavi a bit tighter against him.

"I should have known you wouldn't believe me. You are my Intended, after all," Tyki murmured, almost to himself. Lavi didn't speak, giving the other a chance to continue without prompting.

"I am aware I don't look human, Red," Tyki said. "I've found that it is easier to pretend that I look like one of you in the moonlight. In the daylight or in candlelight, it is hard to pretend that my skin isn't gray and that my eyes are not amber. I thought it would make you more comfortable-"

Lavi's arms tightened.

"I don't care," he said fiercely, meaning every word. "You don't look human, I know, but... you're not human. You're a werewolf."

He could feel Tyki tensing again, but the man didn't try to fight his hold and Lavi continued on, silently grateful.

"I don't care," he repeated. "If you weren't a werewolf, then you wouldn't be the man I know, would you? You'd be someone else."

He could feel Tyki slowly relaxing again and loosened his grip a little. Lavi felt one of the older man's hands leave his back and seconds later felt it pressed to the side of his face, drawing him back and tilting his head up. Tyki was smiling at him and he smiled in response, leaning forward to meet the older man halfway in a kiss. They parted again moments later, both smiles widening.

"You truly do not mind the way I look?" Tyki asked. Lavi shook his head, staring speculatively at the older man's face.

"It... suits you," he said, lifting a hand to touch Tyki's cheek. The older man let him, even tilting his head into the contact. Tyki's skin was warm and soft to the touch, though in a different way from how his fur had been. Before he knew what he was doing, his fingers had traced over the older man's cheek to his lips. He ran two fingertips over Tyki's lower lip, unconsciously leaning in again. The werewolf smiled softly, moving his head towards Lavi's.

A loud, very pointed cough from the direction of the kitchen interrupted them when their lips were only a hair's breadth apart. Both men froze, guilty as children caught stealing sweets.

Lavi turned his head towards the source of the cough, already wincing internally. Sure enough, Bookman stood by the table, watching them with a disapproving expression on his face. Lavi's face reddened and he stepped back, glancing down at the floor as he did so. He felt a hand wrap around his and he looked back up towards Tyki. The werewolf had his eyes on Bookman, expression almost as displeased as Bookman's was. Lavi squeezed the hand holding his, drawing Tyki's attention back to him. The werewolf met his gaze for a second, then sighed and released him. Lavi let his hand drop to his side, watching silently as Tyki turned towards the bedroom.

"I'll check on my niece," Tyki said, walking away and disappearing through the open doorway. Lavi watched him go, his lips feeling strangely cool and dry.

"Lavi, come help me prepare breakfast," Bookman said firmly, turning away. After a moment, the redhead looked towards the kitchen and followed his grandfather with a quiet sigh.

Line Break

They were all sitting down to dinner, hours later, when Road finally woke up.

Tyki, who had spent most of the day inside the room with Road while Lavi and Bookman had gone about their business, had just moved to sit down at the table when he had suddenly glanced over in the direction of the bedroom. Lavi and Bookman had looked too, though neither had heard anything. Seconds later, all three men had heard a quiet, parched voice call out.

"Uncle Tyki..."

The werewolf immediately about-faced and headed for the bedroom. Lavi was seconds behind him, both men crossing the floor quickly. The cry came again, more panicked this time, just as Tyki reached the door.

A blue-brown blur nearly tackled Tyki. The older werewolf just barely caught his balance as Road threw herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. Lavi drew up short, barely stopping before he ran into Tyki, and stepped to the side to give the man some room. Tyki didn't notice, putting his hands on Road's shoulders and gently pushing her away. She resisted for a second, but then relented and Tyki knelt in front of her so he could hug his niece tighter to him. She threw her arms around his neck, clinging to him.

"What's wrong, Road?" Tyki asked her, gently carding his fingers through his hair in a soothing motion. "What happened?"

Lavi watched the girl draw in a shuddering breath, her shoulders shaking as she held on to her uncle. Tyki remained quiet, just holding her and allowing her time to speak.

"Papa..." she said. Her voice was dry and she swallowed heavily before continuing, hushed and trembling, on the verge of tears. "I think the Earl killed Papa."

Lavi's eye widened and he heard Tyki suck in a sharp breath, his arms tightening around Road.

"Can you tell me what happened?" he asked, voice caught between gentleness and urgency. She opened her mouth to speak but all that came out was a dry rasp.

Quiet footsteps approached. Lavi turned, seeing Bookman approaching with a wooden cup filled with water. The old man walked up to the pair of werewolves and leaned over, offering Road the cup. She didn't see - her head was still buried in Tyki's shoulder.

"'Road', correct?" Bookman said. The girl looked up, her eyes a bit red. She saw the cup and the liquid inside and for a moment Lavi could see the longing in her eyes, but then she lifted her gaze to Bookman's face.

"Who are you?" she asked uncertainly, moving almost imperceptibly closer to Tyki. Bookman didn't seem put off by the question. His expression softened and he kept offering the cup.

"This is Lavi's grandfather, Road," Tyki told her, drawing back from the embrace and taking the water from Bookman. The old man dropped his hand as soon as the cup was firmly in Tyki's hands but otherwise did not move. Road accepted the cup from Tyki, drinking from it greedily the moment it was in her hands. Tyki gently pried the cup from her mouth after she had taken several deep gulps and had mostly emptied the cup.

"You'll get sick," he cautioned, taking the cup from her and setting in on the floor next to him. Road glanced back towards Bookman, then looked down at her clothes and the bandages just visible on one of her calves.

"Uncle Lavi's grandfather?" she said for confirmation, looking back at Bookman. The old man seemed taken aback, but after a moment he nodded slowly, a thoughtful expression crossing his face that was no doubt the result of Road's use of 'uncle'. Road looked over to where Lavi stood and the redhead tried to smile reassuringly, but he knew it came out weak.

Tyki touched her shoulder, drawing her attention back to him.

"Can you tell me what happened?" he asked again, voice slightly more urgent. Road nodded, face scrunching in distress as she opened her mouth.

"Shall we sit down somewhere more comfortable?" Bookman interrupted. The other three in the room looked at him and then Tyki nodded. He turned back to Road, picking her up carefully so he wouldn't aggravate her injuries. She curled closer to him, looking much younger than she usually did. Tyki then stood, turning towards Bookman and nodding politely. The old man nodded shortly in reply and turned back to the kitchen. Tyki followed and Lavi walked next to the werewolf. Bookman headed back to his chair and sat down in it, watching as Tyki sat down with Road still clinging to him. Lavi sat himself in his own chair, watching the scene.

"Are you hungry, Road?" he asked, seeing her eye the vegetable stew and bread on the table. She nodded slowly, almost hesitantly, and Lavi leaned forward. He filled the bowl he had set out for himself with two great ladlefuls of the strew and tore off a large hunk of bread before passing both bowl and bread to Road. She took the bread and Tyki grabbed the bowl and held it for her as she ripped off a chunk of the bread and dipped it into the stew. She popped the dripping morsel into her mouth, chewing slowly as though savoring the taste.

"What happened, Road?" Tyki prompted again. "What happened to Sheryl?"

Road's hands stilled and she took a deep breath, drawing up her courage.

"The water was really cold," Road said quietly, as if in a trance. Her hands lowered to her lap and she stared down at them. "Papa told me to wash up in the stream so the Earl couldn't smell your scent and figure out that I had been to see you. I knew that, but the water was so much colder that night than it had been the night before. The first night I met you, I washed up and even Papa couldn't smell you on me."

Tyki had stilled, Lavi noted, except for the man's arm. He pulled Road closer to him, as though trying to comfort her.

"The second night... the water was so cold," Road repeated faintly. "I just dipped myself in and got out. When we went back to the pack, the Earl could smell you."

The room seemed unnaturally quiet as Road spoke. Lavi felt a chill travel up his spine.

"He called me a traitor to the pack and attacked me. He bit me and Papa stepped in. He fought the Earl and then Lulubell came after me. Papa told me to run and come find you, so I ran."

She turned suddenly, nearly knocking the bowl out of the older man's hand. She stared up at him anxiously, searching desperately for some sort of reassurance.

"Do you think the Earl killed him? If he did, it's my fau-"

"Hush, Road," Tyki said softly, interrupting her. She closed her mouth obediently. Tyki regarded her seriously, looking her in the eyes to make sure his point got across. "Sheryl should have checked to make sure you had washed off properly. It's not your fault."

Her anxiety didn't leave her face.

"Is Papa dead?" she asked. Tyki's expression clouded over and he looked away.

"I don't know."

Road's breathing hitched and she buried her head in Tyki's neck. The older werewolf leaned just a bit forward so he could set the bowl he still held on the table, freeing up his arm to card softly through Road's untidy hair. Her shoulders shook, but she didn't seem to be crying.

"Where are they now?" Tyki asked softly, though there was an underlying hardness in his tone. Lavi looked at the older man's face in alarm, instantly able to pick out the anger boiling in Tyki's eyes.

"The same clearing we were in when you left," Road replied quietly, moving back just enough to look up at her uncle. Her expression was clearly confused, her brain apparently not making all the jumps Lavi's was.

The redhead swallowed heavily, his heart hammering in his chest.

"You're going to find them, aren't you?" he asked numbly, staring with horror at Tyki. The man was strong, sure, but fighting a pack of wolves alone was just stupid. It bordered on suicidal. "By yourself? You can't-"

Tyki lifted his gaze from Road and turned his hard eyes to Lavi. The redhead shut up, shrinking away slightly from the older man. Tyki's gaze softened, perhaps seeing the worry in Lavi's expression.

"Will you take care of Road for me?" he asked softly, gently picking up the younger werewolf. Road was staring at him in mute fear, obviously terrified of what would happen to him if he left. Tyki stood and began walking over to Lavi, circling around the table that separated them. Halfway through the circle, Road started clinging to Tyki, lifting herself enough to throw her arms around his neck and hold on.

"You can't go!" she demanded, voice on the verge of panic. Tyki held her just a little tighter and kept walking.

"I'll be back soon enough. Your Papa will be too," he said soothingly. He finally reached Lavi's chair and set the girl in the stunned redhead's lap, gently extricating himself from her hold. She struggled to hold on to him, but Tyki was determined and quickly escaped. He backed up some, standing outside her reach before turning his gaze to Lavi. Road had stopped struggling as Tyki had moved away and now sat quietly in Lavi's lap, watching her uncle with worried eyes. Lavi was in a similar state, completely unable to speak.

"I will be back," Tyki promised, turning towards the door. As the werewolf turned, Lavi could see his expression go from gentle to harsh, fury suddenly radiating from every feature. Lavi could feel Road begin moving to stand and wrapped his arms around her waist, keeping her in place as Tyki walked out the door. She struggled feebly, apparently not truly aware of the arms keeping her in place as she reached for her uncle.

The door swung shut with an ominous sound behind Tyki. The noise echoed through the room, fading into silence.

Road had stopped moving. She sat, staring at the door with one hand still extended towards it. Lavi looked at her, eyeing the bandages wrapped around her, then looked back at the door.

He couldn't let Tyki go alone.

Lavi looked towards Bookman. The old man had been silent throughout everything and was now watching Lavi with a concerned but resigned expression.

"Gramps," he asked, not moving. "Could you watch Road?"

He could feel Road turn her shocked gaze to him but didn't look at her, even when she spoke.

"You're going after Uncle Tyki?"

Bookman stared at him levelly for several long moments. Lavi returned the stare, not backing down. Finally, Bookman looked away.

"Come back safely," he said simply. Lavi smiled thinly and turned to Road. She was staring up at him with worry and something like hope.

"I'm just going to go help him. I'll be fine," he told her, putting a confidence he didn't really feel into his voice. He ushered her off of his lap, standing the moment she was on her feet. He gently pushed her back towards the chair, motioning for her to sit down. She did so, still watching Lavi worriedly.

He turned back to his grandfather, trying to smile reassuringly.

"I'll be fine," he repeated. He didn't wait for a response but instead turned to head to the room he shared with Bookman. The same chest he had dug through to find clothes for Road had a dagger buried somewhere. He wasn't nearly foolish enough to head after Tyki unarmed, though the thought did make him wonder where he drew the line. Going after a werewolf into a den of enemies seemed to be pretty foolish, armed or not.

He smiled wryly to himself, stepping forward. A small hand caught his sleeve and he stopped, glancing towards Road with a quizzical expression.

"I'm going with you," she said, narrowing her eyes in determination when Lavi opened his mouth to object. "Uncle Tyki's too far for you to catch up. You won't even be able to find them unless I lead you."

Lavi bit his lip, worrying it between his teeth as he looked over her injuries. She had a point, but with her being so badly wounded...

Her determined expression melted to worry and pleading.

"Please?" she asked. "I'll stay out of the fight."

Lavi hesitated.

He couldn't let her get hurt any worse. He knew Tyki probably didn't want her within a mile of the fight that was sure to be happening soon somewhere in the woods. Even so... he couldn't just let Tyki fight the battle himself and he had no way of following Tyki without Road's help.

"All right," he said. She smiled at him and dropped her hands and he couldn't help but smile uncertainly in response.

A loud sigh sounded from the other side of the kitchen and Lavi turned to Bookman. The old man was getting to his feet, a resigned and unhappy expression on his face as though he had just eaten something that didn't quite agree with him.

"Lavi, fetch my acupuncture needles from the medical chest," he commanded. Lavi's eye widened, momentarily frozen in surprise.

"Gramps, you-"

"I'm not letting my grandson go gallivanting off and probably get himself killed," Bookman replied. "I may be out of practice, but I can still hit a moving target with those needles if I must." He made a shooing motion with his hand. "Now hurry up. He'll most likely have engaged the others by the time we arrive."

Lavi nodded, then smiled softly.

"Thanks, Gramps," he said, then turned away and headed to gather up his knife and his grandfather's needles.

TBC…

**A/N: Ok, I'm sorry that this update took so long. _ I don't have 8 written yet, but I will soon. Sorry about the wait. Really, really sorry. _**

**I know Road is pretty OOC here, but I was trying to keep her mostly consistent with the rest of the fic.**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: Well, more like shameless plug: the group I'm a part of, AssHat Productions, has a really awesome website and a chatbox, so if you have time, feel free to drop by! Here's the link to the main page: h t t p : / / w w w . a s s h a t . 0 f e e s . n e t / (just delete the spaces) Hope to see you there! I'm usually on and so is Sister Wicked (author of such works as Fall Away and Nightmare Game) and Niamh Arawn (author of Some Sacred Place and The Fine Line)**


	8. White Wolf

**Warnings: YAOI, which means BOYS LOVING BOYS. If you dislike that, then the back button is easy enough to find. Please click that and leave. Possible OOC. Alternate Universe.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Wish they were, but Katsura Hoshino owns all.**

**Notes: Well, this fic started as a oneshot based off of Little Red Riding Hood. About two pages in, I figured out that this no longer had anything whatsoever to do with Little Red Riding Hood. _ I hope you all enjoy!**

**Dedicated to SisterWicked, Niamh (both of AssHat Productions, a group I'm a proud member of), and Cackles for reading this over before I posted and giving me tips and the confidence boost I needed so I could make this fic available to the general public. All remaining mistakes are mine.**

**Super special awesome thanks to Niamh for coming up with the title of this fic!**

**Last Time:**

**"I'm not letting my grandson go gallivanting off and probably get himself killed," Bookman replied. "I may be out of practice, but I can still hit a moving target with those needles if I must." He made a shooing motion with his hand. "Now hurry up. He'll most likely have engaged the others by the time we arrive."**

**Lavi nodded, then smiled softly.**

**"Thanks, Gramps," he said, then turned away and headed to gather up his knife and his grandfather's needles.**

**And Now, The Continuation.**

Chapter 8: White Wolf

Lavi crept along inside the dark forest, gaze fixed on the silently moving wolf in front of him. Road had transformed and, after receiving a stern lecture from Bookman on being careful not to re-injure herself, the trio had made their way into the woods. Bookman walked a few paces behind Lavi, the old man's steps almost noiseless on the ground.

Before leaving the cottage, they had decided upon a plan. Road would lead them to the den but would afterwards, as promised, stay well clear of the fighting. Lavi and Bookman would help Tyki. If Road caught scent of her father on the way, they'd detour and help Sheryl first. Bookman had brought along whatever bandages they'd had left after treating Road, a hollow gourd filled with water, and a clean rag.

They had been walking a good twenty minutes when Road suddenly stopped.

"What is it?" Lavi asked her quietly, crouching down beside her. "Are we getting close?" He couldn't hear anything but the breeze through the leaves. The forest was eerily silent, though if he strained his ears he thought he could hear faint yips and yelps. It was impossible to tell for certain and if the noises did exist, it would be impossible to pinpoint with his dull senses.

Bookman came to a halt behind Lavi.

"Why have we stopped?" he asked. Lavi looked back and shrugged, frowning slightly.

"I don't know." Lavi looked back at Road. "Why have we stopped?"

Road didn't seem to be paying attention; her nose was in the air and she was veering to the left, following something neither of the humans could smell. Lavi got to his feet and followed, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings. The sound of crunching leaves brought his attention back and he turned his head just in time to see Road break out into a run. He followed quickly and heard Bookman follow with a quietly muttered curse.

Road suddenly turned and it was Lavi's turn to curse as he nearly lost sight of her between the trees. A thin shaft of moonlight caught her fur and Lavi darted after her, nearly tripping as he rounded a thick old tree and almost ran into her. There was a flash of movement to his side as Bookman rushed passed Lavi, heading straight for Road and the large, furry lump Road was laying next to.

Lavi's eye widened and he stepped back as realization hit.

They had found Sheryl. The furry lump was Sheryl in his wolf form and Lavi could see damp, matted patches and small pools of dark liquid around the wolf's body. He swallowed heavily.

Road whined softly and nudged the larger wolf with her muzzle. Bookman waved her off and her ears pressed back against her head. She got up to all fours and retreated slightly, giving the old man room to work.

Lavi watched as Bookman knelt next to Sheryl. The redhead's gaze flicked between his grandfather and the wolf, hoping that they weren't too late already. His eye stilled on Sheryl's chest, hoping for just the tiniest hint of movement. Sheryl's chest seemed so still…

Road whined again and sat down next to one of Lavi's feet, her eyes not leaving the figure of her father's still body.

Sheryl's chest rose and fell, the motion so small Lavi would have missed it had he not been looking for it. The redhead let out a quiet sigh of relief. He knelt down behind Bookman, trying to stay out of the man's way and careful so that he didn't block what little moonlight filtered down between the trees.

"How is he?" Lavi asked quietly. Bookman was carefully checking the wolf's vital signs and running his hands cautiously through the thick fur to locate whatever injuries the werewolf had. Bookman ignored the question and turned to Road.

"I need you to get him to wake up and transform for me," Bookman told her. "I need to be able to talk to him to find out where he has been injured."

Road nodded solemnly and picked herself up again. She leaned over her father's prone form and began nudging his head with her nose, whining louder. She put a paw to his shoulder and pushed carefully, quickly withdrawing her foreleg when Sheryl's eyes snapped open. Lavi saw Sheryl's gaze dart first to himself and then to Bookman before finally settling on Road. The older werewolf tried to push himself up but his limbs wouldn't hold him. With a quiet whimper, he collapsed again. Road licked his face as though to try and offer comfort, but Bookman shooed her away once more. Tail hanging low, Road obeyed. Sheryl watched her go before turning his attention to Bookman. The older werewolf regarded him warily. Bookman returned the stare flatly.

"I'm Lavi's grandfather," he explained. "Change back. I need to be able to speak with you in order to treat you."

Sheryl seemed to perk up at that, gaze darting to Lavi one more time before returning to Bookman. Sheryl transformed, fur shrinking and then disappearing and limbs lengthening until a human lay where the wolf had just moments before. Sheryl moved to push himself up to sit, wincing, but Bookman laid a hand on his shoulder and gently prevented him from moving.

"Lay on your back. Anything that closed might reopen if you keep moving," Bookman told him, already uncorking the water-filled gourd and grabbing the clean rag from within one of his sleeves. Sheryl winced again, but did as he was bid. Lavi could see dark patches of what was probably dried blood on the man's previously white shirt, but there was no way of telling how much of that was Sheryl's and how much of it was his opponent's. Road moved around behind Bookman and Lavi and laid down by her father's head, licking his cheek softly. Sheryl smiled, turning his head towards her. He didn't try to move either of his arms, probably since Bookman was briskly undoing the buttons on Sheryl's shirt in order to get a better view of the injuries.

"How's my little girl?" Sheryl asked, voice hoarse. He was obviously attempting his usually bubbly tone, but he just couldn't quite manage. Sheryl hissed quietly when Bookman carefully peeled the tatters of his shirt away from his torso, the dried blood having adhered skin and shirt together.

"Did you take any hits to the head?" Bookman asked, wetting the rag and beginning to wash the blood off of Sheryl's chest. "Are there any major injuries that need to be addressed first?"

Sheryl shook his head.

"I think Lulubell may have gotten my right leg and I probably have a few wounds to my chest, but once my darling daughter-" Sheryl turned his gaze back to Road, giving her a strained but bright smile. "-was safely away, I ran."

Bookman nodded. Lavi glanced away from the scene, looking towards the deeper parts of the forest. He shifted a bit in place, tightening and then loosening his grip on his knife. He bit his lower lip, staring into the darkness. He could hear Road yipping and whining behind him, but didn't pay it much attention. Sheryl's and Bookman's voices, similarly, were just dull mumbles to his ears.

Was Tyki all right? It was a relief to know that Sheryl was alive and apparently not badly hurt, but what about Tyki? The fight had been going on for who knew how long and Tyki could be seriously injured-

Lavi wrenched his thoughts away, turning back to Sheryl, Bookman, and Road. Road had gotten up and was shaking out her fur. She pressed her nose to Sheryl's forehead for a moment and affectionately nudged Bookman's shoulder as she passed him. Bookman acknowledged the gesture with a curt nod, unraveling a bandage and motioning for Sheryl to sit up slowly. Sheryl did, his eyes on Road even as he shifted so that his shirt fell away from his body completely. His gaze moved over the three members of the group again, something like comprehension dawning in his eyes.

"Where's Tyki...?" Sheryl asked slowly. Road nudged Lavi forcefully with her muzzle, jerking her head up to try and get him to stand. Lavi scrambled to his feet, dusting off his pants when he was standing. "Don't tell me he..." Sheryl's voice trailed off as Road nodded. The female werewolf turned towards Lavi and indicated for him to follow by a quick jerk of her head.

"He went after the werewolf responsible for this," Bookman answered, motioning for Sheryl to lean forward. Sheryl automatically did so, wincing slightly when Bookman began wrapping the bandage around his chest. Sheryl opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a soft yip from Road.

Sheryl looked at her and Road met his eyes steadily. Road whined again, as though speaking. Sheryl listened and then reluctantly nodded. He looked up at Lavi.

"Be careful. Don't get involved with Tyki's fight unless you absolutely have to," Sheryl said, voice sounding much more serious than any other time Lavi had heard it. The redhead nodded, shifting slightly on his feet. He wasn't going to risk himself unnecessarily, but like hell he was going to stand by and watch Tyki get hurt.

In less than a week, he was already this protective of the older man. Lavi smiled thinly.

"We'll be back - all three of us," he promised. Road yipped in agreement and turned, loping off into the woods. Lavi waved a perfunctory goodbye and followed. He could hear Bookman and Sheryl talking quietly behind him, but their voices were quickly swallowed up by the quiet sounds of the wind through the trees and his own footsteps. Road kept the pace slow enough for him to follow, but only just. He was half-jogging to keep up and he tripped over more than one upraised tree root he would have spotted if not for her speed, but it never crossed his mind to ask her to slow down.

Lavi carefully avoided thinking about how long it had been since the fight between Tyki and the Earl had started. Tyki would be fine.

The sounds of two wild animals fighting grew louder and louder. The noises were now impossible to deny and Lavi had to strain his ears less and less to hear them. Lavi began scanning the trees, looking for some hint of movement besides Road. His hand tightened around his knife and he cautiously drew it.

Road suddenly stopped. Lavi halted next to her, looking around warily. Right in front of them were two trees with a bit of a gap between them. Part of a clearing was visible in the gap, illuminated by moonlight. The sounds of growls and pained yelps seemed to be coming from the clearing; some were gravelly noises Lavi didn't recognize and some sounded horribly like Tyki.

"Here?" he whispered, already creeping forward. He was downwind of the clearing, so he just needed to make sure he wasn't spotted by anyone or anything that might be inside of it. He heard Tyki yelp and worry creased his forehead.

Road whuffed softly in affirmation, tail dropping between her legs and her ears folding flat against her skull. Her head drooped and she padded up next to him. Lavi flattened his back against one of the tree trunks and peered out into the clearing, knife held at the ready.

He couldn't just rush in. He'd get himself or Tyki killed that way, but there was no way he'd stay out of this as soon as he figured out where the opponents were and where he could expect attack from.

Hell, who was he kidding? If it looked like Tyki was in serious trouble, he'd run out there even before he figured out where the Earl was. He didn't want to see Tyki hurt.

He chuckled quietly to himself, the sound dry and more disbelieving than amused. He had only known Tyki for six days and for two of them, he hadn't known or really trusted the man at all. Now here he was, more than willing to risk life or limb to help Tyki.

Lavi didn't believe in love at first sight. He really didn't. He hadn't believed it two nights ago when Tyki had asked (and had it really been just two nights?) and didn't believe it now. One week was surely not enough time to fall in love, but Lavi knew no other way to describe his fear at the thought of losing the older man.

He couldn't lose Tyki.

Lavi peered around the tree's huge trunk, trying to see into the clearing without allowing himself to be seen. He bit his lip as a pained yelp he recognized as Tyki's met his ears, but it was immediately followed by Tyki snarling. Tyki was all right, he would be fine, he had to be fine...

Lavi took a deep breath and looked.

The clearing was decently large and completely surrounded by trees. Lavi could see the other side, even in the dim light provided by the moon. He could see three wolves at the far edge of the clearing. One was dark-furred and seemed to be pacing, its eyes fixed on the fight Lavi refused to focus on just yet. He had to assess all possible danger first and not just run in, else he'd end up with his back to an enemy and wouldn't know it until he had been brought down and gotten his throat torn out.

He shuddered at the mental image, gaze turning to the second wolf. It was slightly larger than the first, fur a bright yellow, almost golden. The golden wolf was lying on the ground, head resting on its paws as it watched the two wolves in the clearing's center fight. The third was right next to it, fur pitch-black and sleek. It was probably about the same size as the golden wolf and it, too, was watching the fight in the center with apparent disinterest.

Lavi swallowed heavily and looked. His eye widened and his mouth dropped open in shock.

The Earl was enormous. He seemed to be almost twice Tyki's size and was easily the largest beast Lavi had ever seen. His fur was white and thin and currently bloody, gashes ripped into his sides. There were claw marks across his ribs and his back. One eye seemed to be missing, fresh blood streaming from the socket. His muzzle had a bit of blood staining the white fur there as well.

And Tyki...

It was difficult to tell with only the light of the moon, but Lavi could see dark, worrisome patches along Tyki's chest and legs. Tyki moved gingerly, suggesting bruised ribs. As Lavi watched, the Earl leapt towards Tyki, growling. Tyki snarled back and dodged, darting somewhat awkwardly to the side before leaping for the white wolf's neck. Lavi bit his lip to keep from crying out as the Earl rolled with the blow, paws batting at Tyki's head as the gray wolf's teeth struggled to find flesh beneath the defensive ring of fur protecting the Earl's neck. Tyki yelped and rolled as he was struck, getting back up onto all four paws as quickly as he was able.

Lavi's gaze darted back to the two wolves waiting by the sidelines. They hadn't done anything yet, though the pacing wolf gave the impression that it would dearly like to join in.

"Will they attack if I help him?" Lavi asked Road, trying and failing to tear his gaze away from the fight. He saw one of Tyki's forelegs lash out and deal a heavy blow to the Earl's head and smiled grimly. He tightened his grip on his dagger.

"Well?" he asked again, finally managing to look away and turn his gaze to Road. He barely felt a flicker of surprise when he saw that she had changed forms, though he did feel more than a bit of concern when he saw how she held her head and staggered slightly. "Are you all ri-"

"I'm fine," she said, cutting him off. "Just dizzy. I... I needed to be able to talk."

"Will they attack?" Lavi asked again, anxious. He heard a yelp from the clearing, one louder than the previous cries had been. Tyki was hurt. "Road, please-"

"Lulubell might," Road said, leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree. She motioned to the pacing wolf. "Debitto and Jasdero won't. But Lavi, be careful."

Lavi opened his mouth to reassure her, but he saw her eyes looking passed him, widening at the scene. Lavi turned quickly, heart stopping in his chest when he saw that the white beast had pinned the gray wolf down. He was moving without a second thought or a second glance to Road, just an order thrown over his shoulder.

"Get Gramps - hurry!"

Lavi vaguely noted her quick agreement and didn't see her transform back to wolf form before darting off, headed back to where they had left Bookman and Sheryl. Lavi's gaze was only on the Earl, legs moving quicker and quicker and feet automatically finding balance on the uneven ground as he raced across the clearing.

The Earl didn't notice him, too busy trying to get his jaws around Tyki's neck. Tyki fought furiously, clawing at the Earl's body and trying to wriggle free, but he was well and truly pinned. Lavi didn't think, just hurled himself at the Earl's side in a full-body tackle.

The Earl let out a startled yelp. Lavi didn't allow himself a smile at his small victory, struggling to keep the massive beast from biting or clawing him. The Earl suddenly seemed to be all claws and teeth, powerful jaws snapping wildly at the air as the pair rolled along the ground. Lavi hissed as he felt the wolf's claws score a shallow gash on his leg. The Earl suddenly got his bearings and twisted in Lavi's hold, turning and snapping at the redhead's nose.

Lavi pushed the white wolf away, jerking his head back with a cry of alarm. He scrambled backwards awkwardly, still holding his knife and trying desperately not to stick himself with it as he got to his feet. The Earl was already back on all fours, but that lasted all of three seconds before Tyki leapt at the Earl and attacked with a loud snarl of rage.

Lavi jerked his gaze towards where the three wolves had been earlier, safely on the sidelines. There were only two; the two Road had called Debitto and Jasdero. That meant that Lulubell was-

Lavi turned just in time to catch sight of the dark blur as Lulubell leapt at him. Lavi went down hard, head knocking against the ground with a loud 'thunk' that reverberated between his ears for several heartbeats. A paw pressed down on his chest and that was the only warning he got before white teeth flashed in the moonlight, heading for his neck.

He moved an arm to defend himself, putting his forearm between his vulnerable neck and the sharp canines of the wolf on his chest.

The redhead gave a pained shout when Lulubell's teeth closed mercilessly around his arm. The she-wolf jerked her head one way and then another, trying to tear strips off of the flesh. Lavi yelled, bringing up his other hand, clasping his dagger tightly. He brought his arm down in a vicious arc, not really caring where he hit as long as the blow connected.

Lulubell yelped, releasing Lavi's arm as his knife buried itself in her side. Lavi tried to keep his grip on the knife and pulled it down, trying to slice her open. Lulubell snapped at him and threw herself sideways. The knife slid out of her flesh with a sickening, wet sound. Lavi could feel the blood from the wound soak his shirt as he scrambled to get up. A wave of dizziness hit him as he did, but he shoved the disorientation aside in favor of keeping his knife towards the she-wolf.

He and Lulubell circled each other warily, Lulubell growling threateningly and favoring the side with the knife wound. Lavi didn't dare take his eye off of her, holding his knife out in front of him in case she attacked again.

He kept his ears open, listening to his surroundings for some warning if either of the other two wolves decided to attack and to try and figure out how well Tyki's fight was going. He didn't want to end up between the Earl and Tyki while trying to avoid Lulubell. There was no way for that to end well. He could hear the sounds of vicious fighting from somewhere behind him, but couldn't risk a glance.

Road would be back soon with Bookman. Hopefully the old man would be able to tip things in their favor. As the situation was now, Lavi wouldn't be able to help Tyki if the man got into trouble again. Not unless Lavi managed to kill Lulubell, though the redhead doubted it would be easy.

There was a sudden bitten-off, pained yelp from behind, too high-pitched to tell whose it was. Lavi turned automatically at the sound, his panic at the thought that it might be Tyki making that noise easily overriding any self-preservation instinct he had.

Tyki had pinned the Earl down and his muzzle was buried in the Earl's throat, jaws tightly clamped around the white wolf's neck. The Earl was struggling, striking Tyki's head and body, but the gray wolf refused to be moved. Dark liquid Lavi knew had to be blood burbled up around Tyki's mouth, staining his muzzle and the Earl's fur and pooling on the ground.

Tyki viciously worried the white wolf's neck, spilling more blood across the ground.

A loud, enraged, injured howl suddenly sounded. Lavi's eye widened and he turned back to face Lulubell, cursing himself mentally for having forgotten.

He was too slow.

He was half-turned when he felt a heavy weight slam into his side and bring him down. He cried out in surprise and then pain as vicious teeth found his uninjured wrist, the one connected to the hand holding the knife. Lulubell bit down and yanked. Lavi felt something crack and his fingers suddenly lost their grip on the knife. Lulubell yanked once more for good measure and Lavi shouted in pain.

Lulubell dropped his wrist, blood and saliva dripping from her mouth. Lavi lifted his arms to try and shove her off. Pain raced up his arm from his broken wrist, but the other, previously injured arm moved. Too slowly, far too slowly.

Lavi felt his hand brush Lulubell's fur, fingers unable to find purchase and sliding along without managing to alter Lulubell's course. His heart thundered in his chest and time seemed to slow as he realized that there was nothing he could do to stop her. He was already moving his good arm to try and shove her off once more, but he was moving too slowly to get to her before her teeth got to his neck and he knew it.

He felt hot breath on his throat and felt the lightest scrape of teeth before Lulubell suddenly stilled. The she-wolf collapsed on Lavi's chest, mouth slack and eyes glazed over, unseeing. Lavi was confused, but only for a moment before he saw the long, thin acupuncture needles that had pierced Lulubell's neck at vital points.

Lavi took a deep, shuddering breath as relief poured through his body. He had been so sure that he was about to die and the sudden relief hit him hard. He just lay on the ground, body trembling, looking up at the moon. Adrenaline pumped through his body and he wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or to cry or do both at once. He could feel his chest move as he breathed and refused to let himself dwell on what would have happened if those needles had been a few seconds slower or if they hadn't hit just right.

"Lavi!"

The shout was anguished and suddenly the weight off of the redhead's chest was gone, Lulubell's body being shoved unceremoniously aside. Tyki's face replaced the moon in Lavi's view, Tyki's eyes wide and filled with fear and pain. Lavi vaguely noted the blood around the man's mouth, more concerned with how pale Tyki's face was.

"Tyki," he croaked out. Tyki suddenly shuddered, his body releasing tension Lavi hadn't even realized was there. "Are you-"

He was cut off by arms suddenly scooping him up. Tyki clutched him to his chest, burying his face in Lavi's neck and inhaling deeply. Lavi raised his good arm and slid it around Tyki's back, holding onto Tyki as tightly as he dared. If Tyki did indeed have bruised ribs, the redhead didn't want to make it worse.

Tyki didn't seem to care, just held onto Lavi tightly. Lavi could feel some of the drying blood around Tyki's mouth rub off onto his own skin, but couldn't bring himself to care.

"I thought you were dead," Tyki admitted quietly.

"I thought I was going to die," Lavi replied, voice equally soft. He tightened his arm around Tyki, pressing himself against the older man until he could feel the other's racing heartbeat against his chest. "I thought I was..." His voice trailed off, body shuddering as he recalled the wolf's hot breath against his neck and the flash of teeth that could have ended with his death.

Tyki suddenly growled furiously and tore himself from the embrace, though he was careful not to aggravate any of Lavi's injuries. Tyki grabbed both of Lavi's upper arms and held them tightly, golden eyes glaring into Lavi's confused stare.

"You could have died, you idiot! I told you to stay home and watch Road, not follow me-"

"You WOULD have died," Lavi shot back, glaring just as fiercely in return. "If I hadn't tackled the Earl when I did, you would have died and I wouldn't have even known about it!"

Tyki's glare softened minutely at that and the two men stared at each other for a long moment. Slowly, their glares faded to nothing. Tyki sighed and rested his forehead against Lavi's shoulder. They held that position for several seconds, neither speaking.

Soft footsteps on the grass brought their attention back to the present. Lavi looked up and saw Bookman, heard Tyki inhale deeply and knew that the werewolf would recognize the old man's scent.

Lavi smiled weakly at his grandfather.

"Hi, Gramps," he said. Bookman's gaze moved from Lavi to Tyki, taking in their relative positions and probably making a preliminary catalogue of their injuries. After a moment, Bookman nodded as though coming to a decision.

"I didn't bring any more bandages and it seems as though neither of you has anything that needs tending to immediately. I'll treat you both back at the house."

Lavi nodded. Tyki was already moving, standing carefully and trying not to aggravate any of his own wounds. Lavi looked around the clearing, noting that the other two wolves had left. All that remained were the corpses of Lulubell and the Earl.

"Lavi," Tyki said softly, regaining the redhead's attention. The werewolf offered Lavi a hand up and Lavi took it, smiling. His body ached and his wounds hurt, but it was nothing he couldn't ignore until they got home and Bookman managed to rip up some cloth to make more bandages. Tyki was probably in even worse shape, but he was gently pulling Lavi along as they followed Bookman out of the clearing and back towards the cottage.

Sheryl quietly joined them as they passed the tree Lavi, Road, and Bookman had found him under earlier. Road was unconscious in his arms, though since Sheryl didn't seem worried, Lavi didn't let it worry him either.

All the way home, no one mentioned Tyki and Lavi's clasped hands.

TBC…

A/N: Sorry this took me so long to update. _ CL will be concluded in either chapter 9 or chapter 10 (probably 9, though there may be a smutty oneshot sequel if enough people want to see one…).

I'll update AGoP as soon as I get 36 written. Sorry for the delay! Hope you enjoyed the chapter and thought it was worth waiting for!


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